Jiwarli (also spelt Djiwarli, Tjiwarli) is an
Australian Aboriginal language
The Indigenous languages of Australia number in the hundreds, the precise number being quite uncertain, although there is a range of estimates from a minimum of around 250 (using the technical definition of 'language' as non-mutually intellig ...
formerly spoken in the
Pilbara
The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a glo ...
region of
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
. It is a variety of the
Mantharta language
Mantharta is a partly extinct dialect cluster spoken in the southern Pilbara region of Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia ex ...
of the large
Pama–Nyungan family.
The last native speaker of Jiwarli,
Jack Butler, died in April 1986. Prof Peter K. Austin (Linguistics Department, SOAS) collected all the available material on Jiwarli during fieldwork with Jack Butler 1978–1985. He has published a volume of texts on the language and a bilingual dictionary (Jiwarli-English with English-Jiwarli finderlist); both are currently out of print.
Phonology
Vowels
Consonants
Phonotactics
Word-initially, only non-apical stops, nasals and glides are allowed; that is, words may only begin with one of . Words may not begin with vowels.
All words end in vowels. Roots may end on a consonant, however -pa is added to all roots ending in l rl rr and -ma is added to all roots ending in a nasal that would violate the vowel-final word constraint.
References
External links
Information on the Jiwarli language and culture
*
Mantharta languages
Extinct languages of Western Australia
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