Australian Aboriginal Languages Research Articles

Language shift among the Nyulnyul of Dampier Land

Like many other Australian Aboriginal languages, Nyulnyul (Dampier Land, far northwest of Western Australia) is effectively dead: no full speakers survive, and it is nowhere used as a medium of everyday communication. In this paper I describe its modern sociolinguistic situation, comparing and contrasting it to the situations of nearby languages; I also attempt to piece together a historical picture of the shift away from using the language in post-contact times, and its possible causes. Three main types of factor appear to be relevant: demographic and other socio-cultural changes in the community; a generational hiatus that affected the transmission of the language; and changes in the symbolic values of the languages in the speech repertoire of the community. None of these components are unique to the Nyulnyul situation — though the details of their composition and interaction is — and they have been invoked in explanations of language shift and death elsewhere in Australia and the world.

Kirrkirr: software for browsing and visual exploration of a structured Warlpiri

This paper presents an overview of the goals, architecture, and usability of Kirrkirr, a Java-based visualization tool for XML dictionaries, currently being used with a dictionary for Warlpiri, an Australian Aboriginal language. It discusses the underlying lexicon structure, and shows how a computer interface can effectively select from and display that content in various ways. The views of the dictionary include a graph view, which shows a network of semantically related words, and a formatted text view that can be customized via XSLT stylesheets. The paper argues that indigenous language dictionaries have normally been written for linguists, whereas the educational needs of other users have not been adequately met. It discusses the strengths of a computer dictionary interface in providing more help to native speaker users than a conventional dictionary, but argues that the possibilities for the visualization of dictionary information on computers have so far been insufficiently exploited. The paper concludes by briefly discussing observational and task-based testing of the dictionary with native speakers and learners.

Zero Arguments in Jiwarli, Western Australia

Jiwarli is an Australian Aboriginal language that was formerly spoken in the north-west of Western Australia. It shows a high degree of (suffixing) morphological complexity, has a split-ergative case-marking system, and a switch-reference system in dependent clause linkage. Verbs are also strictly subcategorized for transitivity and there are interactions between clause type and case marking. A prevalent feature of Jiwarli discourse is the non-occurrence of overt arguments in both main and dependent clauses. In narratives, 65–75% of transitive clauses have at least one missing argument (depending on genre), with 20% consisting of just a verb alone. Also, 25% of intransitive clauses lack their single (intransitive subject) argument. Zero arguments in Jiwarli can have either unspecified reference or else be anaphoric. This paper discusses the occurrence of zero arguments and outlines the means by which anaphoric relations are expressed. I will show that there is an interaction between verb transitivity, clause type, switch-reference, and the case-marking system which assists with reference determination in narrative discourse.

Zero Arguments in Jiwarli, Western Australia

Jiwarli is an Australian Aboriginal language that was formerly spoken in the north-west of Western Australia. It shows a high degree of (suffixing) morphological complexity, has a split-ergative case-marking system, and a switch-reference system in dependent clause linkage. Verbs are also strictly subcategorized for transitivity and there are interactions between clause type and case marking. A prevalent feature of Jiwarli discourse is the non-occurrence of overt arguments in both main and dependent clauses. In narratives, 65–75% of transitive clauses have at least one missing argument (depending on genre), with 20% consisting of just a verb alone. Also, 25% of intransitive clauses lack their single (intransitive subject) argument. Zero arguments in Jiwarli can have either unspecified reference or else be anaphoric. This paper discusses the occurrence of zero arguments and outlines the means by which anaphoric relations are expressed. I will show that there is an interaction between verb transitivity, clause type, switch-reference, and the case-marking system which assists with reference determination in narrative discourse.

Improving Communication with People with an Intellectual Disability: The content validation of the Biala-II profile

This study explores the content validity of a profile used to describe the communication behaviour of people with intellectual disabilities. The profile, named Biala-II - a Wiradjuri (an Australian Aboriginal language) word for "I understand you" - makes use of the knowledge of informants who are able to provide specific and detailed information on the ways in which a person communicates. This information can be used by ''communication partners'' to guide their interactions with a person whom they do not know well. Five samples of experts - parents, researchers, residential workers, speech pathologists, and special education teachers - rated 16 "best practice" indicators and then rated Biala-II in relation to these indicators. They also answered questions about specific features of the profile with attention to the methodology employed and the likelihood that its use would improve communication with people with an intellectual disability. The results reveal a high level of support for the profile.

Understanding pragmatics By Jef Verschueren (review)

BOOK NOTICES 495 Understanding pragmatics. By Jef Verschueren. (Understanding language series.) London: Arnold, 1999. Pp. xiv, 295. As the preface says, this textbook is written with a wider scope than other introductions to pragmatics. It also aims at presenting this discipline in a coherent system. Given his own numerous contributions to the advancement of pragmatics, the author is fully entitled to do so. The result is an engaging book to read. After an introductory chapter on the relation between pragmatics and general linguistics, Verschueren describes the four traditional areas of pragmatics , i.e. deixis, speech acts, implicit meaning, and conversation, together with the more recent studies of politeness and argumentation (Ch. 1). There follows an outline of the general concern of pragmatics, namely to understand the meaningful functioning of language under these aspects: a dynamic process operating on context-structure relationships at various levels of salience (Ch. 2). Readers interested in a general overview of the extent of pragmatics will benefit much from these two chapters which form Part 1 of the book. Up to this point the conceptual apparatus and terminology are quite straightforward . Part 2 (Chs. 3-6) contains more detailed expositions of the four aspects of meaningful functioning of language mentioned above. Here pragmatics appears as a discipline whose task is to shed light on all questions of language use. It is true that this discipline has stimulated a new awareness on the importance ofcontext in the study of meaning. But whether pragmatics can give a systematic account for 'the dynamics of meaning generation' is not altogether clear. Other disciplines which have long since dealt with this area, such as the philosophy of language and cultural anthropology, may have more chance in sorting out the issues. The all-embracing task set for pragmatics in this book seems to go beyond what its practitioners would normally concede. Part 3 is a survey of topics and trends in pragmatics . Areas of investigation within language proper, such as the ordering of particles, performativity, and linguistic interaction, are put under the label of micropragmatics (Ch. 7). Macropragmatics, on the other hand, deals with intercultural and international communication, ideologies, and societal debates in general (Ch. 8). Occasionally one gets the impression that the presentation is meant as a synthesis of the author's views rather than what is actually going on in the field. The final chapter of the book traces the development ofpragmatics as an interdisciplinary research (Ch. 9). Each of the nine chapters ends with a summary followed by suggestions for further reading and research topics. The sixteen-page bibliography gives an idea of how productive the field of pragmatics has become. [Agustinus Gianto, Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome.] A grammar of Koyra Chiini. By Jeffrey Heath. (Mouton grammar library 19.) Berlin & New York: Mouton de Gruyter, 1999. Pp. xiv, 453. Heath is well known for his accomplishments as a fieldworker and descriptive linguist, among which a grammar of Nunggubuyu, an Australian aboriginal language (reviewed in Language 62. 654-63, 1986), and two books on Moroccan Arabic are particularly noteworthy. There is a direct link between the latter research efforts and his current focus on the Songhay (also Songhai, Songoi, Sonrhai, or Koroboro) language family of West Africa which comprises some dozen or so languages. They are spoken mainly in Mali and Niger, but also in Bénin, Algeria, and 'perhaps ' also Burkino Faso (1). According to H, they may be Nilo-Saharan, but this remains controversial (2). This is, I believe, a more accurate view than the opinion expressed in William Bright, ed., International encyclopedia of linguistics (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992:IV:28), which classifies the language definitely as Nilo-Saharan. There are also two other unclarities in this article: (1) Whether or not Songhay is a single language is allegedly controversial but not according to H. (2) It is indeed spoken in Burkino Faso in addition to Nigeria. It seems to me the second point needs further investigation. H explains in the introduction how he became interested in Songhay. He originally went to Timbuktu (long associated with picturesque caravans crossing the Sahara) in 1986 to work on Hassaniya Arabic, an extension of his Moroccan Arabic research (8). Since there...

Directions in functional linguistics Ed. by Akio Kamio (review)

488 LANGUAGE, VOLUME 76, NUMBER 2 (2000) Lardil itself as well as observations on two special ceremonial languages—Demiin, and the sign language Marida Kangka. In traditional Lardil society, initiates used Marida Kangka for most communication needs during the year after their circumcision. After a second initiation rite involving subincision, initiates used Demiin, a spoken language quite different from Lardil. The book begins with an introductory chapter (3-11) discussing the history of Lardil-White interaction and the reasons for Aboriginal language attrition on Mornington Island (Lardil is now moribund). The remaining eleven chapters detail aspects of how the Lardil traditionally classified their world, both cognitively and linguistically. Ch. 2 (15-32), entitled 'Coming into being and going out of being', discusses the main aspects of the life cycle: conception, birth, the umbilical ceremony (yirri), initiation rites, and death. Ch. 3 (33-53) discusses kinship systems and terminology. Ch. 4 (54-75) explains Lardil usage of personal names and nicknames. Interestingly , human nicknames could be applied to dogs but not other animals. Ch. 5 (76-120) uses linguistic categories to explain Lardil customs of land tenure. The next three chapters are devoted to how plants and animal species are classified in the grammatical and lexical structure of Lardil (123-42), Demiin (143-55), and Marida Kangka (156-73). M notes that Marida Kangka is more than simply a way of signing messages expressed verbally in Lardil or Demiin (157). While Lardil vocabulary abounds in monomial designations for individual species and Lardil grammar contains nineteen personal pronouns , the signs of Marida Kangka usually express life forms (tree, shellfish, animal, etc.) and convey eight pronoun distinctions; and Demiin, whose monomial nominal lexicon conveys genus rather than species, contains only two personal pronouns. The final four chapters analyze how Lardil spiritual beliefs superimpose an additional, totemic classification onto elements of the tangible world. Ch. 9 (175-92) discusses the eight class subsections in detail . Ch. 10 (193-206), entitled 'Thuwathu the Rainbow Serpent', analyzes an important Lardil myth and its significance for linguistic classification systems. Ch. 1 1 (207-26) explains beliefs involving markirii 'sickness', thought to result when elements from land and sea are improperly mixed outside one's home territory. Ch. 12 (227-41) extends this analysis to the semiotics of Lardil body decorations and other visual art. An epilog (242-46) explains additional connections between the Rainbow Serpent myth and material aspects ofLardil culture such as land tenure and naming practices. This book is highly recommended for anyone interested in nonverbal communication, nominal classification , semantics, kinship terminology, and of course Australian Aboriginal languages and cultures. [Edward T. Vajda, Western Washington University.] Directions in functional linguistics. Ed. by Akio Kamio. (Studies in language companion series 36.) Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins. 1997. Pp. xii, 259. The volume is a collection of papers presented at a symposium, "The future of functional linguistics', held in 1991 at Dokkyo University, Tapan. The major thrust of all nine papers in the volume is the need for functional notions in linguistic analyses. A numberofpapers draw examples from discourse data. Using English, Korean, and Iapanese, Patricia Clancy, Noriko Akatsuka, and Susan Strauss explicate the use of conditionals in expressing deontic modality by showing the pragmatic overlap between them. Based on his study of written diary narrative, Paul Hopper reports that in detailed, first-hand accounts of events the basic phrases used are dispersed predicates, e.g. head straight in, and not simple verbs. Hopperreminds us that grammardoes not simply code events, and he argues against the autonomous view of events. Sandra Thompson points out a link between the core-oblique distinction and parameters of information flow: Core NPs are more likely to be identifiable, activated, and tracking than are oblique NPs. Her English database confirmed the relation and suggested that communicative motivations are behind the seemingly universal core-oblique distinction. Ellen Prince's article uncovers three distinct types of left dislocation in English. Wesley Jacobsen's paper offers an account of agentivity that has two apparently conflicting meanings , durativity and changeability, analyzed in terms of iterated change. A paper by Akio Kamio shows that Tapanese extensively uses what he calls the indirect form, which consists of a statement...

A grammar of Koyra Chiini By Jeffrey Heath (review)

BOOK NOTICES 495 Understanding pragmatics. By Jef Verschueren. (Understanding language series.) London: Arnold, 1999. Pp. xiv, 295. As the preface says, this textbook is written with a wider scope than other introductions to pragmatics. It also aims at presenting this discipline in a coherent system. Given his own numerous contributions to the advancement of pragmatics, the author is fully entitled to do so. The result is an engaging book to read. After an introductory chapter on the relation between pragmatics and general linguistics, Verschueren describes the four traditional areas of pragmatics , i.e. deixis, speech acts, implicit meaning, and conversation, together with the more recent studies of politeness and argumentation (Ch. 1). There follows an outline of the general concern of pragmatics, namely to understand the meaningful functioning of language under these aspects: a dynamic process operating on context-structure relationships at various levels of salience (Ch. 2). Readers interested in a general overview of the extent of pragmatics will benefit much from these two chapters which form Part 1 of the book. Up to this point the conceptual apparatus and terminology are quite straightforward . Part 2 (Chs. 3-6) contains more detailed expositions of the four aspects of meaningful functioning of language mentioned above. Here pragmatics appears as a discipline whose task is to shed light on all questions of language use. It is true that this discipline has stimulated a new awareness on the importance ofcontext in the study of meaning. But whether pragmatics can give a systematic account for 'the dynamics of meaning generation' is not altogether clear. Other disciplines which have long since dealt with this area, such as the philosophy of language and cultural anthropology, may have more chance in sorting out the issues. The all-embracing task set for pragmatics in this book seems to go beyond what its practitioners would normally concede. Part 3 is a survey of topics and trends in pragmatics . Areas of investigation within language proper, such as the ordering of particles, performativity, and linguistic interaction, are put under the label of micropragmatics (Ch. 7). Macropragmatics, on the other hand, deals with intercultural and international communication, ideologies, and societal debates in general (Ch. 8). Occasionally one gets the impression that the presentation is meant as a synthesis of the author's views rather than what is actually going on in the field. The final chapter of the book traces the development ofpragmatics as an interdisciplinary research (Ch. 9). Each of the nine chapters ends with a summary followed by suggestions for further reading and research topics. The sixteen-page bibliography gives an idea of how productive the field of pragmatics has become. [Agustinus Gianto, Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome.] A grammar of Koyra Chiini. By Jeffrey Heath. (Mouton grammar library 19.) Berlin & New York: Mouton de Gruyter, 1999. Pp. xiv, 453. Heath is well known for his accomplishments as a fieldworker and descriptive linguist, among which a grammar of Nunggubuyu, an Australian aboriginal language (reviewed in Language 62. 654-63, 1986), and two books on Moroccan Arabic are particularly noteworthy. There is a direct link between the latter research efforts and his current focus on the Songhay (also Songhai, Songoi, Sonrhai, or Koroboro) language family of West Africa which comprises some dozen or so languages. They are spoken mainly in Mali and Niger, but also in Bénin, Algeria, and 'perhaps ' also Burkino Faso (1). According to H, they may be Nilo-Saharan, but this remains controversial (2). This is, I believe, a more accurate view than the opinion expressed in William Bright, ed., International encyclopedia of linguistics (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992:IV:28), which classifies the language definitely as Nilo-Saharan. There are also two other unclarities in this article: (1) Whether or not Songhay is a single language is allegedly controversial but not according to H. (2) It is indeed spoken in Burkino Faso in addition to Nigeria. It seems to me the second point needs further investigation. H explains in the introduction how he became interested in Songhay. He originally went to Timbuktu (long associated with picturesque caravans crossing the Sahara) in 1986 to work on Hassaniya Arabic, an extension of his Moroccan Arabic research (8). Since there...

Case, typology and grammar: In honor of Barry J. Blake Ed. by Anna Siewierska and Jae Jung Song (review)

468 LANGUAGE, VOLUME 76, NUMBER 2 (2000) (85). In Ch. 7, R revisits ground that he has covered before in examining thematic roles in Shakespeare. As in much of R's work, the linguistic framework adopted is that of Walter J. Cook's case grammar. What is interesting here is R'sjuxtaposition ofa deep case examination of Shakespeare in English with a translation of Shakespeare into Finnish, a language with surface cases, resulting in one ofthe best explorations of deep and surface case yet. The theme of deep case, particularly agentivity, and translation continues in Ch. 8, where R examines a Finnish popularization of Othello. Thematic roles also constitute the center of R's analysis of Dreiser's fiction in Ch. 9. The book concludes with a summary ofChs. 2-9. While the shortcomings of the book at times show through R's excellent scholarship and precise analysis , the strengths, which far outnumber the weaknesses , reveal themselves continually as one reads. This book will enhance any linguist's personal library . It is a must for researchers in discourse analysis , pragmatics, text linguistics, stylistics, and, especially, thematic roles. [Carl Mills, University of Cincinnati.] Case, typology and grammar: In honor of Barry J. Blake. Ed. by Anna Siewierska and Jae Jung Song. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins, 1998. Pp. 379. Written in honor of Barry J. Blake on the occasion of his 60th birthday, this book is a collection of fifteen papers, written by students, colleagues, and kindred spirits, on a variety of topics that fall within Blake's wide-ranging research interests. Nine papers are concerned with grammar and typology . These differ greatly in their subject matter but share a similar theoretical orientation towards functionalism and typology. Keith Allen looks at the semantic frames ofbe and have in English within the framework of RRG. Byron W. Bender gives a very general discussion of markedness and iconicity. Kate Burridge examines the complex relationship between Pennsylvania German and English. Bernard Comrie and Maria Polinsky provide an entertaining piece on Daghestan case, debunking the myth ofits record-setting number of cases. Richard Hudson discusses control in verbs like persuade orforce and draws a number of general conclusions for syntactic theory. Andrew Pawley and Jonathan Lane analyze serial verb constructions in Kalam and argue that discourse structure is reflected in their grammar. Anna Siewierska explores two diachronic pathways proposed for the development of ergativity: the passive and the ergative. Jae Jung Song looks at benefactive marking in Oceanic languages and shows that nonverbal marking is more common than generally thought. Sandra A. Thompson gives a discourse explanation for widespread crosslinguistic differences in the marking of interrogation and negation. Six papers concern Australian aboriginal languages , Blake's area of speciality. Peter Austin looks at the in-progress grammaticaUzation of continuous aspect from a lexical root meaning 'sit' in Jiwarli. Edith L. Bavin shows how language acquisition data from Warlpiri reveal that very young children are sensitive to typological characteristics of their language. Nicholas Evans looks at Iwaidja, the only known case of an Australian language that uses initial mutation as a grammatical process. William McGregor describes applicatives in Warrwa. Stanley Starosta gives an ergative analysis of three Formosan languages (Atayal, Tsou, and Yami) within the framework of lexicase and extends his analysis to Acehnese. Tasaku Tsunoda discusses applicative construction in Warrungu. My only quibble is with the book's numerous editing errors. The table of contents, for example, contains errors that range from the rather absurd (e.g. 'Great Daghestan Case Coax' instead of the 'Great Daghestan Case Hoax') to the sublimely bad (e.g. the use of the title "The Verbal Suffix -ngany in Warrwa ' for what is titled 'Applicative Constructions in Warrwa' in the body). Probably any linguist will find something here of interest (although the book will appeal primarily to those with a typological or functionalist bent), but Australianists in particular will relish it, not only because of the number of papers that deal with Australian languages but also because it pays homage to one of their most accomplished colleagues. [Stuart Robinson, Australian National University.] Understanding syntax. By Maggie Tallerman. London: Arnold, 1998. Pp. 226. Maggie Tallerman's Understanding syntax (a new addition to...

Understanding syntax By Maggie Tallerman (review)

468 LANGUAGE, VOLUME 76, NUMBER 2 (2000) (85). In Ch. 7, R revisits ground that he has covered before in examining thematic roles in Shakespeare. As in much of R's work, the linguistic framework adopted is that of Walter J. Cook's case grammar. What is interesting here is R'sjuxtaposition ofa deep case examination of Shakespeare in English with a translation of Shakespeare into Finnish, a language with surface cases, resulting in one ofthe best explorations of deep and surface case yet. The theme of deep case, particularly agentivity, and translation continues in Ch. 8, where R examines a Finnish popularization of Othello. Thematic roles also constitute the center of R's analysis of Dreiser's fiction in Ch. 9. The book concludes with a summary ofChs. 2-9. While the shortcomings of the book at times show through R's excellent scholarship and precise analysis , the strengths, which far outnumber the weaknesses , reveal themselves continually as one reads. This book will enhance any linguist's personal library . It is a must for researchers in discourse analysis , pragmatics, text linguistics, stylistics, and, especially, thematic roles. [Carl Mills, University of Cincinnati.] Case, typology and grammar: In honor of Barry J. Blake. Ed. by Anna Siewierska and Jae Jung Song. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins, 1998. Pp. 379. Written in honor of Barry J. Blake on the occasion of his 60th birthday, this book is a collection of fifteen papers, written by students, colleagues, and kindred spirits, on a variety of topics that fall within Blake's wide-ranging research interests. Nine papers are concerned with grammar and typology . These differ greatly in their subject matter but share a similar theoretical orientation towards functionalism and typology. Keith Allen looks at the semantic frames ofbe and have in English within the framework of RRG. Byron W. Bender gives a very general discussion of markedness and iconicity. Kate Burridge examines the complex relationship between Pennsylvania German and English. Bernard Comrie and Maria Polinsky provide an entertaining piece on Daghestan case, debunking the myth ofits record-setting number of cases. Richard Hudson discusses control in verbs like persuade orforce and draws a number of general conclusions for syntactic theory. Andrew Pawley and Jonathan Lane analyze serial verb constructions in Kalam and argue that discourse structure is reflected in their grammar. Anna Siewierska explores two diachronic pathways proposed for the development of ergativity: the passive and the ergative. Jae Jung Song looks at benefactive marking in Oceanic languages and shows that nonverbal marking is more common than generally thought. Sandra A. Thompson gives a discourse explanation for widespread crosslinguistic differences in the marking of interrogation and negation. Six papers concern Australian aboriginal languages , Blake's area of speciality. Peter Austin looks at the in-progress grammaticaUzation of continuous aspect from a lexical root meaning 'sit' in Jiwarli. Edith L. Bavin shows how language acquisition data from Warlpiri reveal that very young children are sensitive to typological characteristics of their language. Nicholas Evans looks at Iwaidja, the only known case of an Australian language that uses initial mutation as a grammatical process. William McGregor describes applicatives in Warrwa. Stanley Starosta gives an ergative analysis of three Formosan languages (Atayal, Tsou, and Yami) within the framework of lexicase and extends his analysis to Acehnese. Tasaku Tsunoda discusses applicative construction in Warrungu. My only quibble is with the book's numerous editing errors. The table of contents, for example, contains errors that range from the rather absurd (e.g. 'Great Daghestan Case Coax' instead of the 'Great Daghestan Case Hoax') to the sublimely bad (e.g. the use of the title "The Verbal Suffix -ngany in Warrwa ' for what is titled 'Applicative Constructions in Warrwa' in the body). Probably any linguist will find something here of interest (although the book will appeal primarily to those with a typological or functionalist bent), but Australianists in particular will relish it, not only because of the number of papers that deal with Australian languages but also because it pays homage to one of their most accomplished colleagues. [Stuart Robinson, Australian National University.] Understanding syntax. By Maggie Tallerman. London: Arnold, 1998. Pp. 226. Maggie Tallerman's Understanding syntax (a new addition to...

Stop consonants in Yanyuwa and Yindjibarndi: locus equation data

Locus equations are derived from F2 transition data for stop consonants in two Australian Aboriginal languages, Yanyuwa and Yindjibarndi, which have seven and six places of articulation, respectively. The slope values from these equations are used in order to determine the amount of anticipatory coarticulation between the consonant and the vowel in CV syllables. In accordance with results for other languages, the VELAR and the BILABIAL places of articulation are found to have very high slope values. The four CORONAL consonants are found to have lower slope values than thePERIPHERALS , although there is no clear pattern amongst the CORONALS themselves. Given that for these languages, there are no voicing or manner distinctions among the OBSTRUENTS, it is possible that the range of non-formant-based cues to place of articulation is wider.

Yuwaalaraay/Gamilaraay Language Revival in Walgett

This article gives some background, traces some of the recent history of Australian (Aboriginal) language study in Walgett, looks at the hoped for and actual impact, and discusses the possible future of this important field of study. It will focus mainly on Walgett because the author has worked there and knows its recent language history well. Other towns are mentioned, but it would need more input from them to speak fully about their situation.

Coarticulation in CV syllables: A locus equation and EPG perspective

Stop, nasal, and fricative consonants of Australian English were paired with a wide variety of vowel monophthongs to form CV syllables which were placed in a carrier phrase. The EPG and acoustic data were obtained from four female speakers producing these phrases. Locus equations [Lindblom, Acoust. Soc. Am. 35, 1773–1781 (1963)] were generated from the acoustic data, and coarticulation indices [Farnetani, Speech Production and Speech Modelling, edited by Marchal and Hardcastle (1990), pp. 93–130] were calculated from the EPG data. The coarticulation indices were compared with the slope values from the locus equations [Krull, PERILUS 10, 87–108 (1989)] in order to determine the degree of coarticulatory resistance for a given consonant phoneme as measured in the articulatory and acoustic domains. Results suggest that the greatest degree of coarticulation is shown in the labial and velar consonants, and less in the apico-alveolar consonants. The least degree of coarticulation is shown by the lamino-postalveolar consonants /S Z/. These results agree with data from Australian Aboriginal languages and with results presented by Recasens for Catalan [J. Phon. 12, 61–73 (1984); 19, 177–192 (1991)].

Language and Cognition: The Cognitive Consequences of Spatial Description in Guugu Yimithirr

This article explores the relation between language and cognition by examining the case of "absolute" (cardinal direction) spatial description in the Australian aboriginal language Guugu Yimithirr. This kind of spatial description is incongruent with the "relative" (e.g., left/right/front/back) spatial description familiar in European languages. Building on Haviland's 1993 analysis of Guugu Yimithirr directionals in speech and gesture, a series of informal experiments were developed. It is shown that Guugu Yimithirr speakers predominantly code for nonverbal memory in "absolute" concepts congruent with their language, while a comparative sample of Dutch speakers do so in "relative" concepts. Much anecdotal evidence also supports this. The conclusion is that Whorfian effects may in fact be demonstrable in the spatial domain.

Sound symbolism in Gooniyandi, a language of Western Australia

AbstractIn Gooniyandi, a non-Pama-Nyungan Australian Aboriginal language spoken in the vicinity of Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, many verb roots end in consonants, unlike roots of other classes, which are almost always vowel final. The distribution of final consonants across the class of verb roots is examined, and it is shown that those ending in the same consonant tend to cluster together into a small number of semantically coherent groups. It is further argued that these associations of final consonants and semantic features of the action are iconically motivated: that is, there is evidence of phonaesthesia in Gooniyandi verbs. Possible articulatory and acoustic bases for this sound-iconicity are proposed and evaluated. For example, final ng is strongly associated with processes which involve hollow or resonant sounds, blunt shapes, or bent things. These associations are likely to be motivated by auditory iconicity (velars are grave acoustically) and/or articulatory ico...

Non-configurationality in Australian aboriginal languages

The syntax of the Australian Aboriginal language Warlpiri has led to two opposing models of non-configurationality: a dual structure hypothesis, which abandons the projection principle for a grammatical architecture that separates constituency and functional representations (Simpson 1983, 1991, Hale 1983, Kroeger 1993), and a pronominal argument hypothesis, which hypothesizes that bound or zero pronominals satisfy the projection principle in such languages, with free nominals analysed as adjuncts (Jelinek 1984, Baker 1991, Hale 1993). Although the pronominal argument hypothesis is widely accepted in the syntactic literature, we show that available evidence from Warlpiri, new evidence from the related language Jiwarli, and a survey of six other Australian languages actually support the dual structure hypothesis. The non-configurationality characteristics of free word order, null anaphora, and split NPs are in fact independent of each other and of the distribution of bound pronouns. Additionally, the clitic pronouns that Jelinek (1984) and others take to be the source of non-configurationality in Warlpiri are simply an areal feature of Australian languages that is independent of the syntactic properties that are supposed to derive from it.

Vowel Phonotactic Positions in Australian Aboriginal Languages

Proceedings of the Twenty-First Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society: General Session and Parasession on Historical Issues in Sociolinguistics/Social Issues in Historical Linguistics (1995)

Wycheproofite: a new hydrated sodium aluminium zirconium phosphate from Wycheproof, Victoria, Australia, and a new occurrence of kosnarite

AbstractWycheproofite is a new hydrated sodium aluminium zirconium phosphate from a pegmatite vein in granite at Wycheproof, in northwestern Victoria, Australia. The mineral occurs as compact, finely fibrous masses in small cavities in the quartz/feldspar/muscovite/schorl-bearing pegmatite. The fibrous crystals are between 5 and 10 µm wide and up to several mm long. Accompanying minerals include two other zirconium phosphates — kosnarite and a new species, selwynite, the K-analogue of gainesite — as well as wardite, eosphorite, cyrilovite, leucophosphitc, rockbridgeite, a kidwellite-like mineral and saleeite. The wycheproofite aggregates are pale pinkish to brownish orange, with a vitreous to pearly lustre. The streak is colourless, fracture rough, cleavage not observed and the Mohs hardness is between 4 and 5. Optical data are incomplete due to the fibrous nature of the mineral; the indices of refraction are in the range 1.62–1.64. The measured density is 2.83 g cm−3. Chemical analysis gave (wt.%) Na2O 6.36, K2O 0.44, CaO 0.66, FeO 0.36, MnO 0.21, Al2O3 12.03, Cs2O 0.03, ZrO2 32.43, HfO2 1.24, P2O5 35.85, SiO2 0.23, F 0.34, H2O 9.0, less 0=F 0.14, Total 99.04. The simplified formula is NaAlZr(PO4)2(OH)2·H2O. Wycheproofite is triclinic with unit cell parameters a=10.926(5) Å, b = 10.986(5) Å, c = 12.479(9) Å, α= 71.37(4)°, β = 77.39(4)°, γ= 87.54(3)° V = 1375.9 Å3. For Z= 6, the calculated density is 2.81 g cm-3. The strongest lines in the X-ray powder diffraction pattern are [dobs (Å), Iobs,hkl] 2.603 (100) 040; 4.128 (80) 121; 3.711 (65) 023; 3.465 (60) 030; 8.865 (40) 101; 3.243 (35) 132. The crystal structure has not been solved due to the finely fibrous nature of the material available. The name is for the locality, which in the local Australian Aboriginal language means ‘witchie bushes growing on a hilltop’.Data on the third occurrence of kosnarite, KZr2(PO4)3, at Wycheproof are also given.

Categories, Constituents and Constituent Order in Pitjantjatjara: An Ab-Original Language of Australia

A description of the syntax of the Australian Aboriginal language Pitjantjatjara. This book looks at the relevant categories and constituents in the language and examines the question of whether the constituents exhibit a syntactically basic order. The data shows that word in a range of constructions is constrained and Heather Bowe argues that these facts would be consistent with an analysis of word being syntactically significant in Pitjantjatjara. The constraints on word are of particular interest in that they contrast significantly with word features reported for the neighbouring language Warlpiri, widely considered to be a canonical free word order language. The topics of syntactic constituency and word are relevant to current research on linguistic theory and the possible existence of non-configurational languages as addressed by Chomsky, as well as to the typological study of languages as addressed by Joseph Greenberg. The detailed descriptions of complex sentence constructions, including switch-references, will interest linguistics working within the generative tradition as well those working within a typological framework. Heather Bowe has lived in the Pitjantjatjara area in central Australia and her study is based on the extensive field data, including narrative texts, collected during this period.

Australian Aboriginal Words in English: Their Origin and Meaning

Words like boomerang and woomera, kangaroo and koala, mallee and mulga are quintessentially Australian. Australian Aboriginal Words in English is the definitive account of the history of these and other words borrowed from Aboriginal languages into English. It is also a fascinating insight into the contracts between the first Australians and the European settlers. In 1788 there were some 250 languages in use in Australia. This book begins with a general account of the nature and history of Aboriginal languages, and with profiles of those languages that have been most significant as sources of borrowings. The words are then grouped according to subject - birds, fish, flora, religion, implements, dwellings, and so on. For each word there is an entry, like that in a dictionary, giving the language the word comes from, the original pronunciation and meaning in that language, the date of its first written use in English, and its present meaning. Illustrative quotations are given in many instances. This second edition of the book has been fully revised, adding more than 30 new words and bringing the book fully up to date with contemporary scholarship. Chapter 6 - on the way English words have taken on new meanings and forms to describe Australia's indigenous inhabitants - is completely new. Research Background: This book is based on decades of studies of Australian Aboriginal languages by R. M. W. Dixon, and lexicographic work by Moore and Ramson within the OED Australia. The book begins with a general account of the nature and history of Aboriginal languages, and with profiles of those languages that have been most significant as sources of borrowings. This is a second edition of the book fully revised, adding more than 30 new words and bringing the book fully up to date with contemporary scholarship. Chapter 6 - on the way English words have taken on new meanings and forms to describe Australia's indigenous inhabitants - is completely new. Research Contribution: This book is the definitive account of the history of numerous words borrowed from Aboriginal languages into English. It also provided insights into contacts between the first Australians and the European settlers. This new and thoroughly revised edition is supplied with scientific labels for each entry. It is highly innovative in that it provides a comprehensive analysis of words borrowed from Aboriginal languages into English and their meanings. It offers a new perspective on contact between the indigenous population and white Australian settlers reflected in the language. Research Significance: This book represents a new milestone in the explorations of the influence of Australian Aboriginal languages on English, and in the investigation of language and culture interaction since the White Invasion of Australia. Major significance of this book lies in its encyclopaedic breadth and width. It is a unique resource, for linguists, anthropologists and anyone interested in Australian languages and culture. This book received laudatory reviews in journals, and was reissued several times, reflecting its appreciation by the public.