A New Narungga Grammar
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Fragments of Budderer’s waddy: a new Narungga grammar Pacific Linguistics 612 Pacific Linguistics is a publisher specialising in grammars and linguistic descriptions, dictionaries and other materials on languages of the Pacific, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, East Timor, southeast and south Asia, and Australia. Pacific Linguistics, established in 1963 through an initial grant from the Hunter Douglas Fund, is associated with the School of Culture, History and Language in the College of Asia and the Pacific at The Australian National University. The authors and editors of Pacific Linguistics publications are drawn from a wide range of institutions around the world. Publications are refereed by scholars with relevant expertise, who are usually not members of the editorial board. FOUNDING EDITOR: Stephen A. Wurm EDITORIAL BOARD: I Wayan Arka and John Bowden (Managing Editors), Mark Donohue, Nicholas Evans, Jeffrey Marck, David Nash, Andrew Pawley, Paul Sidwell, Jane Simpson EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Karen Adams, Arizona State University Bambang Kaswanti Purwo, Universitas Atma Alexander Adelaar, University of Melbourne Jaya Peter Austin, School of Oriental and African Marian Klamer, Universiteit Leiden Studies Harold Koch, The Australian National Byron Bender, University of Hawai‘i University Walter Bisang, Johannes Gutenberg- Frantisek Lichtenberk, University of Universität Mainz Auckland Robert Blust, University of Hawai‘i John Lynch, University of the South Pacific David Bradley, La Trobe University Patrick McConvell, Australian Institute of Lyle Campbell, University of Utah Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander James Collins, Universiti Kebangsaan Studies Malaysia William McGregor, Aarhus Universitet Bernard Comrie, Max Planck Institute for Ulrike Mosel, Christian-Albrechts- Evolutionary Anthropology Universität zu Kiel Soenjono Dardjowidjojo, Universitas Atma Claire Moyse-Faurie, Centre National de la Jaya Recherche Scientifique Matthew Dryer, State University of New York Bernd Nothofer, Johann Wolfgang Goethe- at Buffalo Universität Frankfurt am Main Jerold A. Edmondson, University of Texas Ger Reesink, Universiteit Leiden at Arlington Lawrence Reid, University of Hawai‘i Nicholas Evans, University of Melbourne Jean-Claude Rivierre, Centre National de la Margaret Florey, Monash University Recherche Scientifique William Foley, University of Sydney Melenaite Taumoefolau, University of Karl Franklin, SIL International Auckland Charles Grimes, SIL International Tasaku Tsunoda, University of Tokyo Nikolaus Himmelmann, Ruhr-Universität John Wolff, Cornell University Bochum Elizabeth Zeitoun, Academica Sinica Lillian Huang, National Taiwan Normal University Fragments of Budderer’s waddy: A new Narungga grammar Christina Eira with the Narungga Aboriginal Progress Association Pacific Linguistics College of Asia and the Pacific The Australian National University Published by Pacific Linguistics School of Culture, History and Language College of Asia and the Pacific The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200 Australia Copyright in this edition is vested with Pacific Linguistics First published 2010 National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry: Author: Eira, Christina. Title: Fragments of Bbudderer's waddy : a new Narungga grammar / Christina Eira with the Narungga Aboriginal Progress Association. ISBN: 9780858836112 (pbk.) Subjects: Narangga language--Grammar. Other Authors/ Narungga Aboriginal Progress Association. Contributors: Dewey Number: 499.155 Typeset by Julie Manley Cover art by Melina Magdalena, 2007, Artistic representation of Narungga land with Narungga place names, © Narungga Aboriginal Progress Association. Used with permission. Printed and bound by Addcolour Digital Pty Ltd, Fyshwick, Canberra In memory of Auntie Phoebe Wanganeen, 1925-2007 Nharangga warra wardlinu bammadja. The Narungga language is coming home. Table of contents List of tables .......................................................................................................................... x Foreword by Lesley Wanganeen ......................................................................................... xi Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. xii List of abbreviations ...........................................................................................................xiv Map: Narungga country, Yorke Peninsula ........................................................................ xvii 1. Introduction................................................................................................................1 1.1 Language renewal – the bigger picture............................................................... 2 1.2 Terminology ....................................................................................................... 3 1.3 Authenticity and change ..................................................................................... 4 1.4 Processes and priorities ...................................................................................... 6 1.5 The grammar of a language of renewal .............................................................. 9 1.6 Land, people and language ............................................................................... 12 1.7 The language renewal project – processes for decision-making ...................... 13 1.8 Current usage.................................................................................................... 17 1.9 Research sources............................................................................................... 19 1.9.1 Early............................................................................................... 20 1.9.2 Mission period ............................................................................... 20 1.9.3 Intermediate ................................................................................... 22 1.9.4 Recent ............................................................................................ 22 1.9.5 Current ........................................................................................... 23 1.9.6 Additional sources ......................................................................... 24 2. Phonology.................................................................................................................. 26 2.1 Bases for analysis ............................................................................................. 26 2.2 The phoneme inventory .................................................................................... 28 2.2.1 Vowels ........................................................................................... 28 2.2.2 Consonants..................................................................................... 30 2.3 Allophones........................................................................................................ 34 2.3.1 Voicing of stops............................................................................. 34 2.3.2 Retroflexes and ‘r-clusters’............................................................ 35 2.4 Phonological processes..................................................................................... 35 vii viii Table of contents 2.4.1 ‘d-clusters’ and prestopping ...........................................................35 2.4.2 ‘r-clusters’ and alveolar/retroflex alternation.................................37 2.4.3 ‘y-clusters’ and palatal/alveolar alternation ...................................37 2.4.4 Conclusions ....................................................................................38 2.5 Stress and phonotactics .....................................................................................39 2.5.1 Stress...............................................................................................39 2.5.2 Word and syllable structure............................................................39 2.5.3 Syllable boundaries ........................................................................41 2.6 Morphophonemics.............................................................................................42 2.6.1 Compound reduction ......................................................................42 2.6.2 [%/w] alternation...........................................................................44 3. Orthography..............................................................................................................45 3.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................45 3.2 The basic system ...............................................................................................46 3.3 Voicing ..............................................................................................................47 3.4 Double letters: nonstandardisation and underspecification...............................48 3.4.1 Semi-regular alternations................................................................48 3.4.2 Under-determined sounds...............................................................51 3.5 Conclusions .......................................................................................................52 4. Lexicon and word classes .........................................................................................53 4.1 Historical documentation ..................................................................................53