Wajarri is an endangered
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 ...
. It is one of the
Kartu languages
The Kartu languages is a group of Indigenous Australian languages spoken in the Murchison and Gascoyne regions of Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of t ...
of the
Pama–Nyungan family.
Geographic distribution
Wajarri country is inland from
Geraldton
Geraldton ( Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth.
At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...
, and extends as far south and west as
Mullewa, north to
Gascoyne Junction and east to
Meekatharra.
History and current status
The Yamaji Language Centre carried out work on Wajarri throughout the 1990s, producing an illustrated wordlist and various other items.
Since July 2005, the Irra Wangga–Geraldton Language Programme has continued work on the Wajarri language, producing publications including a print dictionary and a dictionary
app
App, Apps or APP may refer to:
Computing
* Application software
* Mobile app, software designed to run on smartphones and other mobile devices
* Web application or web app, software designed to run inside a web browser
* Adjusted Peak Performan ...
, working with schools involved in the teaching of the language, and holding weekly community language classes (). In 2008 Wajarri became the first Australian Aboriginal language available at
senior secondary level (TEE) in the state 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 ...
.
People who are Wajarri speakers, or who are descended primarily from Wajarri speakers, also refer to themselves as
Wajarri (Wajari). The word for 'man' in Wajarri is ''
yamatji'' (), and this word is also commonly used by Wajarri people to refer to themselves. Depending on the context, may also be used to refer to other Aboriginal people, particularly people from the Murchison-Gascoyne region.
Sketch
grammars of Wajarri have been written by
Douglas
Douglas may refer to:
People
* Douglas (given name)
* Douglas (surname)
Animals
* Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking
* Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civi ...
(1981) and Marmion (1996).
Phonology
Vowels
Consonants
The symbols in brackets show the forms used in the practical orthography employed in the Wajarri dictionary, where these differ from standard IPA symbols. Although Douglas (1981) claimed that there was no laminal contrast (i.e. no phonemic contrast between the dentals and palatals), Marmion (1996) demonstrated that there is such a contrast.
Vocabulary
According to
Julitha Joan Walker (1931–2009), her first name, Jjulitha, was a Wajarrri word for '
walkabout'.
[ ]
References
Sources
*Boddington, Ross and Boddinton, Olive. 1996. ''The Budara Story''. Magabala Books.
*Douglas, Wilfrid H. 1981. 'Watjarri'. In Dixon, R.M.W. and Blake, Barry J (Eds.), ''Handbook of Australian Languages: Vol. 2''. ANU Press.
*Mackman, Doreen (Ed.). 2012. Wajarri dictionary: the language of the Murchison Region of Western Australia, Wajarri to English, English to Wajarri. Geraldton, Irra Wangga Language Centre.
*Marmion, Douglas. 1996. ''A description of the morphology of Wajarri''. Unpublished Hons. thesis, University of New England.
{{Pama–Nyungan languages, West
Kartu languages