Bininj Kunwok
Kunwinjku | |
---|---|
Gunwinygu | |
Native to | Australien |
Region | Northern Territory |
Native speakers | 1410 |
Gunwinyguan
| |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | gup |
ELP | Bininj Gun-wok |
Kunwinjku (also spelt Gunwingu, Gunwingku) is the variety of Bininj Gun-wok spoken in the largest population centre, Kunbarlanja (formerly Oenpelli) and therefore the most widespread. This dialect had a population of speakers around 700 as of 2003 according to Evans,[1] almost all of whom speak Kunwinjku inspite of increasing exposure to English.
Note: As discussed above according to Evans 2003, Kunwinjku refers to a dialect of Bininj Gun-Wok (Bininj Gun-Wok being a term he introduced). However, some linguists such as Dixon (2002) uses this term as a language name, that is, an equivalent of Bininj Gun-wok.
Phonology
Consonant inventory
Peripheral-Bilabial | Peripheral-Velar | Apico-Alveolar | Apico-retroflex | Lamino-palatal | Glottal | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Short stop | p | k | t | ʈ | ƫ | ʔ |
Long stop | pː | kː | tː | ʈː | ƫː | |
Nasal | m | ŋ | n | ɳ | ɲ | |
Lateral | l | ɭ | ||||
Rhotics | ɹ | r | ||||
Semi vowels | w | y |
- Notes on the consonant inventory
- Evans (2003) uses the symbol "r" for the apico-alveolar rhotic and the symbol "ɹ" for the apico-retroflex rhotic. As this is potentially confusing, I have used the standard IPA symbols in the chart above according to the description of place and manner of articulation provided by Evans(2003).
- Moreover, Evans (2003) uses exactly the same symbol for the apico-alveolar short stop and apico-alveolar retroflex stop. To avoid confusion I have used the standard IPA symbol "ʈ" for the apico-retroflex short stop.
Vowel inventory
Front | Central | Zurück | |
---|---|---|---|
Hoch | i | u | |
Mid | e | o | |
Niedrig | a |
Further reading
Evans, Nicholas. 2003. Bininj Gun-Wok: a pan-dialectal grammar of Mayali, Kunwinjku and Kune: Pacific Linguistics 541, Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. Carroll, Peter. 1976. Kunwinjku: a language of Western Arnhem Land, Australian National University: MA.
Link to OZBIB library on this language.
References
- ^ (2003). According to a census carried out in 2006(AUSTLANG there were 915 speakers of the language.Bininj Gun-wok: a pan-dialectal grammar of Mayali, Kunwinjku and Kune. (2 vols). Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
- ^ (2003). Bininj Gun-wok: a pan-dialectal grammar of Mayali, Kunwinjku and Kune. (2 vols). Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.