• Source: Nukunu language

Nukunu (or Nugunu or many other names: see below) is a moribund Australian Aboriginal language spoken by Nukunu people on Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. As of 2017, there is a revival and maintenance programme under way for the language.




Names


This language has been known by many names by neighbouring tribes and Australianists, including:

Nukuna, Nokunna, Noocoona, Nookoona, Nuguna, Nukana, Nukunnu, Nukunu, Njuguna
Doora
Pukunna
Tjura, Tyura
Wallaroo, Warra
Wongaidya (from wangkatya, present tense form of verb 'to speak')




Classification


Nukunu is a Pama–Nyungan language, closely related to neighboring languages in the Miru cluster like Narungga, Kaurna, and Ngadjuri.




Phonology






= Vowels

=
Nukunu has three different vowels with contrastive long and short lengths (a, i, u, a:, i:, u:).




= Consonants

=
The Nukunu consonantal inventory is typical for a Pama–Nyungan language, with six places of articulation for stops and nasals. There are three rhotics in the language.

A phonemic voicing contrast exists in Nukunu, but it has only been observed in the retroflex stop series. An example demonstrating such a contrast intervocalically is kurdi (phlegm, IPA ['kuɖi]) and kurti (quandong, IPA ['kuʈi]).




= History

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In contrast with other Thura–Yura languages, Nukunu did not partake in either the initial th- lenition before vowels or the lenition of initial k- before vowels.




Notes






References


Hercus, Luise Anna (1992). "Introduction". A Nukunu Dictionary. Maitland, South Australia: National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry.

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Bahasa Nunggubuyu
• Nukunu language
• Nukunu
• Melrose, South Australia
• Thura-Yura languages
• Arrernte language
• Wilson River language
• Dhuwal language
• Dharug language
• Woiwurrung–Taungurung language
• Noongar language