Mingginda language

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Mingginda
Minkin
RegionQueensland, Australia
EthnicityMingin people
Extinct(date missing)
Language codes
ISO 639-3xxm
Glottologmink1237
AIATSIS[1]G26

Mingginda or Minkin is an extinct Australian Aboriginal language, perhaps a language isolate, of northern Australia. It was spoken by the Mingin people in the area around Burketown, on the southern coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria, in an area that contains the headwaters of the Leichhardt River.[2]

The classification of Minkin is uncertain, primarily due to a lack of data. It has been suggested that it may have been related to the Yiwaidjan or Tankic language families. Evans (1990) believes it has been demonstrated to be a Tankic language, more distant than the others are to each other; this is accepted in Bowern (2011).[3]

Phonology[edit]

Consonants[edit]

Peripheral Laminal Apical
Labial Velar Dental Palatal Alveolar Retroflex
Plosive p k c t ʈ
Nasal m ŋ (n̪) ɲ n ɳ
Rhotic (ɾ~r) (ɻ)
Lateral (l̪) ʎ l ɭ
Approximant w j

Consonants in parentheses are unattested, but may have existed.

Vowels[edit]

Front Central Back
High i u
Low a

It is not possible to tell if there was vowel length.[2]

Vocabulary[edit]

Minkin data reconstituted by Evans (1990):[2]

gloss Minkin
man (Aboriginal) ŋaRka (ŋařka)
'the blacks' yaŋ(k)ana; wampuRa; kOmu; miŋ(k)u
white man piʈa; Takantana
young man kulankali; wuRunta (wuɽunta)
boy, children wuRaRa
baby (also 'little', 'younger brother') piltʸinkuRa
girl puLupuLa (puɭupuɭa)
woman maku
old man paʈiŋaRa
old woman waʈikiRi (waʈikiři)
father kEyatʸi
mother kuntuŋu
sister wuŋ(k)uRa-paŋa; yilulaŋa
brother, elder Naŋkalʸ or Naŋkay
brother, younger piRtʸinkuRa
mother's mother TiTila
God tʸORpuyu
ghosts paʈa
'being who taught them everything' kuwaRi
head wiʈa
hair of head puLumpa
hair of beard, beard yaRinʸa, yaRiŋa
eye mitʸELa
ear maRa (mařa)
mouth paRka
teeth liya
tongue THalŋa ~ THanŋa
nose kiwiRa
face yiRa
neck panTaLmaRa
shoulder tʸaʈa
breasts, milk ŋukula
back kOnTa (kanta)
stomach paʈaka; puLtʸi
chest payuLa
thigh piLpa; t̪anpa
leg tʸila
ankle mukuLa
foot tʸaŋ(k)a
track of a foot tʸaŋ(k)ay, tʸaNa
arm waLERa
wrist muni-muni; maNay-maNay
hand ŋaRŋaRa (ŋařŋařa)
fingers ŋařa
skin pakuRu
bone TimERa (ʈimiřa)
blood takana
fat paRaŋ(k)a (paɽaŋka)
bowels, excrement TORa (ʈuRa)
excrement malina
kangaroo punkana; tʸaku-tʸaku
possum wapuRa
tame dog kutu
wild dog, dingo mitʸilpaRa
emu puLanʸtʸana
black duck piyanʸtʸuRa
wood duck yapiRa- muntunʸtʸiRa
pelican yukuTaRa; pitiltu
laughing jackass (kookaburra) TalkuRa (t̪alkuřa)
native companion (brolga) Tila-TalkuRa; puRalku
white cockatoo TayalpuwaRa; kaRimpala
crow waŋkuLa
swan kunankuta
wild turkey piRinkuRa
egg yapipa
snake palaŋ(k)aRa; pakanpapa
fish waRa
crayfish miNTuLa
mosquito kalaRaŋ(k)a (kalařaŋka)
fly wuŋaRa; kuRiNa
grass kOɳa (kaɳa); puLpa
bark kuRumpa; pakuRu
wood wiLa; wiLaTaLOnti (wiLa t̪alunti)
war-spear waRinwaRina; maLtʸiNTaRa
reed-spear waRin; ŋuRmi (ŋuřmi)
woomera piRi (piři)
shield Taʈuna; tʸaRpi (tʸařpi)
tomahawk THaʈiyapina; tʸaRiwiNTila
boomerang waŋila
carvings on boomerang waLitʸi
canoe kamiRa
camp NETa (ɳat̪a) (ŋita)
fire wiLa
heat yaLuLu (yalulu); mawuRina
smoke Tumpuɳa; kuya-kuya
light NawaNawa; kawuntuNaRay
dark (= night) kawuNTi
water, rain wat̪a
food La(R)kuLa
honey (= fat) paRaŋ(k)a (paɽaŋka)
thirsty NVRmuNTu (ŋawaRmuNTu)
hungry NaLu
stone, hill kapaʈa
ground kuʈa
river kaTaRa (kat̪ařa)
lake, lagoon paNka
swamp wuɭpa
sea mawORa
sun tʸiRiŋaŋa
moon palaŋatʸi
moon; star (?) piRiŋ(k)a (piɽiŋka)
star; sky (?) TaLaLa (ʈalala)
thunder piʈimaRa(-Ta)
wind waRmaRa (wařmaɽa)
rain puLuLaŋ(k)ana
day palmanmaLamaLa; yiɳanʸtʸi
today yanaNiŋ(k)a, yanaLiŋ(k)a
night miLimaʈa; kawuNTi
yesterday kawuNTiwa; yaluNTay
dawn ŋaNaRaNa, yuNaRaNa
tomorrow kawuNTu, kawuNTuŋ(k)aRa
by-and-by kiTaNTa ŋatʸa
cold KuRiNa (ŋuřina)
good puRuka
bad TuRka
big puLaNa; kuNamiRa (kunʸamiřa)
little; baby piltʸinkuRa
dead, rotten pukayaNa, puka
sweet kaRaLkaRaLa
one tʸuwaRnʸu ~ tʸuwaLnʸu
two Tikinʸa
three Tantʸilta
four Tikintalʸu- TuwaLʸu, TikintʸaLinʸa
plenty, many yunkuna; wan(a)puRa
none, no wiɳiŋa; Wawiŋa
any waNTini
some tʸiliŋa
same man̪t̪anʸi
other tʸawuNiliŋa
to walk yaNkiya
to walk, go yapu
to run Taŋanʸi
to go away tʸawuyu
to come here ŋatʸa
to sit Ninʸa; kuNuyu
to take kawapa
to hold niŋapa
to let him go yiɭayaNkipa
to give wuNapa
to burn with fire Nalapa
to make piʈimapa
to sleep yuŋ(k)uyu
to die yuRpiyu
to live piRitʸinʸa
to eat TayaTaya, TaRa
to drink WawunTini
to speak watʸi
to see Nawapa
to feel (yu)wiŋapa
to hear (yu)wiŋʸtʸin- ta(R)watʸiNa
to know mitʸil-maRa
yes Niya (ŋiya)
'Name of a place where the being camped' maalpay or maalpi
Marriage class A (male) LiyaRaNu
Marriage class C (female, marries A) kaŋila
Marriage class B (male, marries D) kayaLOLa
Marriage class D (female, marries B) ŋařitʸpalaŋi
Where are the blacks? TaɳaŋaRa komu?; TaɳaŋaRa miŋ(k)u
I don't know. waNTaŋ Naŋ(k)i kuʈa; waNTaŋ Nanʸtʸi kuʈa

References[edit]

  1. ^ G26 Mingginda at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
  2. ^ a b c Evans, Nicholas (1990). "The Minkin language of the Burketown region". In Geoffrey N. O'Grady & Darrell T. Tryon (ed.). Studies in Comparative Pama-Nyungan. Volume 111 of Pacific Linguistics. Australian National University. pp. 173–207. ISBN 978-0-85883-388-3.
  3. ^ Bowern, Claire. 2011. "How Many Languages Were Spoken in Australia?", Anggarrgoon: Australian languages on the web, December 23, 2011 (corrected February 6, 2012)