Ngardi, also spelt Ngarti or Ngardilj, 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 ...
that is considered
moribund. It was previously thought to be an alternative name for the
Bunara language, but these are now classified as separate languages. It was/is spoken by the
Ngarti people of the
Northern Territory and northern
Western Australia.
Classification
Capell (1962) considered Ngardi,
Warlpiri Warlpiri may refer to:
* Warlpiri people, an indigenous people of the Tanami Desert, Central Australia
Central Australia, also sometimes referred to as the Red Centre, is an inexactly defined region associated with the geographic centre of Au ...
, and
Warlmanpa to be dialects of a single language.
R. M. W. Dixon (2002) grouped Ngardi together with Warlpiri and Warlmanpa in the
Yapa group, but admitted that this was based on limited data. McConvell and Laughren (2004) showed that it was in
Ngumbin, a closely related group, and this was followed in Honeyman (2005). However, Bowern (2011) listed it as a more distant
Wati language.
Tindale shows Ngardi as an alternative name for Bunara language, but
Lynette Oates
Lynnette, also spelled Lynette, is a feminine given name.
People
* Lynette Boggs (born 1963), American politician
* Lynnette Brooky (born 1968), New Zealand golfer
* Lynette Chico (21st century), Puerto Rican fashion model and actress
* Lynnette C ...
and
Arthur Capell showed that Bunara was a separate language. The two languages have now been assigned separate code in
AIATSIS
The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), established as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) in 1964, is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is a collecting, ...
's
AUSTLANG
The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), established as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) in 1964, is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is a collecting, ...
database.
Waringari
Some old recordings and manuscripts refer to Waringari (or Waiangara) as a language related to Ngardi, but linguists have agreed that it is a geographical name and not the name of a language.
listed Waringari as a pejorative name for the Ngarti people, as well as for the
Yeidji, the
Worla and the
Warlpiri Warlpiri may refer to:
* Warlpiri people, an indigenous people of the Tanami Desert, Central Australia
Central Australia, also sometimes referred to as the Red Centre, is an inexactly defined region associated with the geographic centre of Au ...
, suggesting that they were
cannibals.
Phonology
Vowels
Consonants
See also
*
Ngururrpa, a grouping of peoples of language groups including Ngardi
References
Sources
*
*
*
*McConvell and Laughren (2004) "The Ngumpin-Yapa subgroup". In Claire Bowern & Harold Koch, ''Australian Languages: Classification and the Comparative Method.'' Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
*
Ngumbin languages
Ngarrkic languages
Wati languages
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