Nunggubuyu language explained

Nunggubuyu
Nativename:Wubuy
States:Australia
Region:Numbulwar, Northern Territory
Ethnicity:Nunggubuyu people
Speakers:283
Date:2021 census
Ref:[1]
Speakers2:perhaps 400 semi-speakers and second language speakers
Familycolor:Australian
Fam1:Macro-Pama-Nyungan?
Fam2:Macro-Gunwinyguan
Fam3:East Arnhem
Iso3:nuy
Aiatsis:N128
Notice:IPA
Glotto:nung1290
Glottorefname:Wubuy

Nunggubuyu or Wubuy is an Australian Aboriginal language, the traditional language of the Nunggubuyu people ('Nunggubuyu' is nun- 'people of' + wubuy, the name of the language). It is the primary traditional language spoken in the community of Numbulwar in the Northern Territory, although Numbulwar is traditionally associated with the Warndarrang language.[2] The language is classified as severely endangered by UNESCO,[3] with only 283 speakers according to the 2021 census.[1] Most children in Numbulwar can understand Nunggubuyu when spoken to, but cannot speak it themselves, having to reply in Kriol. To counter this, starting in 1990, the community has been embarking on a revitalisation programme for the language by bringing in elders to teach it to children at the local school.[4]

Classification

The classification of Nunggubuyu is problematic. Heath (1997) postulates that Nunggubuyu is most closely related to Ngandi and Anindilyakwa. However, Evans (2003) believes that the similarities are shared retentions rather than shared innovations, and that Nunggubuyu is closest to the eastern Gunwinyguan languages.[5]

Brett Baker (2004) demonstrates that Ngandi and Wubuy form an "Eastern Gunwinyguan" subgroup as distinct from the "jala"/"Rembarngic" subgroup which includes Rembarrnga and Ngalakgan.[6] Furthermore, Van Egmond's (2012) study of the genetic position of Anindilyakwa supports Heath's hypothesis that Ngandi, Anindilyakwa and Wubuy/Nunggubuyu do constitute one subgroup within Gunwinyguan.[7] Van Egmond and Baker (2020) expand Van Egmond's (2012) evidence with lexical comparison, demonstrating that Wubuy is related to both Ngandi and Anindilyakwa, but shares more sound changes and lexical items with the latter.

Phonology

Consonants

PeripheralLaminalApical
BilabialVelarPalatalDentalAlveolarRetroflex
Nasalpronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Plosivepronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Tappronounced as /link/
Lateralpronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Approximantpronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/

pronounced as //n̪// is rare. pronounced as //ɾ// may optionally be pronounced as a trill when it occurs in word-initial position, which is rare.[8]

Vowels

FrontBack
Highpronounced as /link/   pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/   pronounced as /link/
Lowpronounced as /link/   pronounced as /link/

Numbers

Nunggubuyu uses a quinary number system.[9]

base numeral+5×5
151anjbadj1156maralibalinala mari anjbadj1055marangandjbugidj
252wulawa1257maralibalinala mari wulawa20510wurumulumara ngandjabugidj
353wulanjbadj1358maralibalinala mari wulanjbadj30515wurumulumbulanbadj
454wulawulal1459maralibalinala mari wulawulal40520wurumulumbulalwulal
1055marangandjbugidj20510wurumulumara ngandjabugidj

Sample text

Ba-marang-dhayiynBa-marang-gagagiynB a-marang-dhayiynBa-marang-jaljaliynBa-wan.ngang “hokey pokey”Badhawawa-rumiynAba dani-yung-bugij(the Hokey Pokey in Wubuy)[10]

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: SBS Australian Census Explorer. 12 Jan 2023.
  2. Web site: Numbulwar's Profile & Information . 2007-11-11 . Numbulwar Numburindi Community Government Council . 2007 . The major language spoken in Numbulwar is Noongabuyu (Noon-ga-boy-you) along with creole. English is generally regarded as a third language in the community. . https://web.archive.org/web/20070829082835/http://www.numbulwar.nt.gov.au/home/our_community/numbulwar_s_profile_information . 29 August 2007 . dead .
  3. Web site: UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in danger. www.unesco.org. UNESCO. en. 2017-08-27.
  4. News: We talk in Wubuy but children reply in Kriol – Numbulwar school on a language rescue mission. Davidson. Helen. 2016-09-06. The Guardian. 2017-08-27. en-GB. 0261-3077.
  5. Nicholas Evans, 2003, Bininj Gun-wok: a pan-dialectal grammar of Mayali, Kunwinjku and Kune, vol. 1
  6. Baker, Brett. (2004). "Stem forms and paradigm reshaping in Gunwinyguan." In Koch, H. & Bowern, C. eds. Australian languages: Classification and the comparative method. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing, pp. 313-40, 669-79.
  7. Van Egmond, M-E. (2012). "Enindhilyakwa phonology, morphosyntax and genetic position." Doctoral thesis. University of Sydney. pp. 314–70.
  8. Heath (1984): p. 12.
  9. Capell, A. "A New Approach to Australian Linguistics", Oceania linguistic monographs 1 (1956), Sydney: University of Sydney, p. 68. Cited in John Harris, "Facts and Fallacies of Aboriginal Number Systems ", SIL work paper series B, volume 8 (1982), p. 161.
  10. Web site: We talk in Wubuy but children reply in Kriol – Numbulwar school on a language rescue mission . . 6 September 2016 .