The Gunwinyguan languages (Gunwinjguan, Gunwingguan), also core Gunwinyguan or Gunwinyguan proper, are a possible branch of a large
language family
A language family is a group of languages related through descent from a common ''ancestral language'' or ''parental language'', called the proto-language of that family. The term "family" reflects the tree model of language origination in his ...
of
Australian Aboriginal languages in
Arnhem Land
Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia, with the term still in use. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territory capital, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Company ...
, northern Australia. The most populous language is
Kunwinjku, with some 1500 speakers.
Gunwinyguan languages have a
fortis–lenis contrast in plosive consonants. Lenis/short plosives have weak contact and intermittent voicing, while fortis/long plosives have full closure, a more powerful release burst, and no voicing.
Languages
The list here is based on Green (2003). However, Green believes the similarities among these languages are due to shared retentions from
Proto-Arnhem, and are not indicative of an exclusive relationship between them.
[Rebecca Green, 2003. "Proto-Maningrida within Proto-Arnhem: evidence from verbal inflectional suffixes." In Nicholas Evans, ed. ''The Non-Pama-Nyungan languages of northern Australia''.]
*Gunwinggic:
Kunwinjku (Gunwinggu),
Kunbarlang
*
Jawoyn (Djauan)
*
Dalabon (Ngalkbun)
*Jala (Rembarngic):
Rembarrnga,
Ngalakgan
The Ngalakgan are an indigenous Australian people of the Northern Territory.
Language
Ngalakgan is generally classified as a member of the Gunwinyguan family.
Country
Ngalakgan territory covered an estimated , north of the Roper River as far a ...
*Warrayic:
Waray Waray may refer to:
* Waray people of the Philippines
* Waray language, the fifth most spoken native language of the Philippines, spoken by the Waray people
* Waray literature
* Warray language
Warray (Waray) was an Australian language spoken ...
,
Uwinymil
Uwinymil, also spelt Uwinjmil and also known as Awinmul, is an extinct Australian Aboriginal language of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia.Bowern, Claire. 2011.How Many Languages Were Spoken in Australia?, ''Anggarrgoon: Austra ...
Yangmanic had once been included, but has been removed from recent classifications. Various other languages appear to be related to this Gunwinyguan core. This larger family is sometimes also called Gunwinyguan, but more unambiguously Macro-Gunwinyguan or
Arnhem
Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It i ...
.
References
Language families
{{ia-lang-stub