Extinct Aboriginal Australian language
Giimbiyu is an extinct Aboriginal Australian language isolate once spoken by the Giimbiyu people of northern Australia.
The name Giimbiyu is a Gaagudju word for 'of the stoney country'. It was introduced in Harvey (1992) as a cover term for the named dialects,[ 2]
Mangerr (Mengerrdji)
Urningangga (Wuningak)
Erri (Arri)
In 1997 Nicholas Evans proposed an Arnhem Land family that includes the Giimbiyu languages. However, they are not included in Bowern (2011).[ 3]
Phonology
Consonants
Coarticulation among consonants is also present.
Among consonant-coarticulation, /ɣ/ when preceding sounds /l, ɾ/ may result in being heard as a voiceless palatal [ç].
Vowels
/u/ may also be heard as [o ] .
Coarticulation among a preceding /ɪ/ , may result in the vowel sound becoming more central [ɪ̈ ] or as a diphthong [ɪə] .[ 4]
Vocabulary
Capell (1942) lists the following basic vocabulary items:[ 5]
gloss
Mangeri
Uningangk
man
wurilg
wurig
woman
ŋeːn
ŋeːn
head
wiliŋerm
ulŋerb
eye
iːm
iːm
nose
jingolm
ingolb
mouth
jagir
indjaːd
tongue
nindjadj
indjaːd
stomach
abeɽweɽe
abeɽwe
bone
ijerm
mulgud
blood
maneŋulm
waija
kangaroo
oidjbaɣar
wurulamb
opossum
muŋaːd
malijarŋ
emu
wiwijüw
iwidjiw
crow
gagud
gagud
fly
muɳimuɳi
maŋanaŋaɳ
sun
muɣaːliŋ
indjuwawi
moon
järagäl
järagäl
fire
wiɽumgarm
widjälim
smoke
wuŋɛŋg
wuŋɛŋg
water
ogog
ogog
References
^ Mangerr at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Urningangg at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Erre at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
^ a b N220 Giimbiyu at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
^ Bowern, Claire. 2011. "How Many Languages Were Spoken in Australia? ", Anggarrgoon: Australian languages on the web , December 23, 2011 (corrected February 6, 2012)
^ Birch, Bruce (2006). A first dictionary of Erre, Mengerrdji and Urningangk: three languages from the Alligator Rivers Region of North Western Arnhem Land, Northern Territory . Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation: Jabiru: Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corp.
^ Capell, Arthur. 1941-1942, 1942-1943. Languages of Arnhem Land, North Australia . Oceania 12: 364-392, 13: 24-51.
McConvell, Patrick and Nicholas Evans. (eds.) 1997. Archaeology and Linguistics: Global Perspectives on Ancient Australia. Melbourne: Oxford University Press