Arrernte (linguistics)

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Arrernte
Spoken in: Northern Territory, Australia
Total speakers: 1,500[1]
Language family: Pama-Nyungan
 Arandic
  Arrernte 
Writing system: Latin alphabet
Language codes
ISO 639-1: none
ISO 639-2: aus
ISO 639-3: variously:
amx — Anmatjirra
aly — Alyawarr
adg — Antekerrepenhe
aer — Eastern Arrernte
are — Western Arrernte 
Image:Some aboriginal communities in the northern territory australia.jpg
Location of Arrernte (light blue) in the Northern Territory, not including Anmatjirra and Alyawarr.
Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. See IPA chart for English for an English-​based pronunciation key.

Arrernte (or Aranda) is a language or group of closely related languages spoken in and around Alice Springs (Mparntwe in Arrernte) in the Northern Territory, Australia. This group includes the following:

  • Anmatjirra
  • Alyawarr
  • Ayerrerenge
  • Antekerrepenhe
  • Eastern Arrernte or Ikngerripenhe
  • Central Arrernte or Mparntwe Arrernte
  • Western Arrernte, Tyuretye Arrernte or Arrernte Alturlerenj
  • Souther Arrernte or Pertame
  • Lower Arrernte or Alenjerntarpe

Opinions vary as to their status as dialects or distinct languages.

Contents

[edit] Phonology

[edit] Consonants

Peripheral Laminal Apical
Bilabial Velar Uvular Palatal Dental Alveolar Retroflex
Stop p pʷ k kʷ c cʷ t̪ t̪ʷ t tʷ ʈ ʈʷ
Nasal m mʷ ŋ ŋʷ ɲ ɲʷ n̪ n̪ʷ n nʷ ɳ ɳʷ
Prestopped nasal pm pmʷ kŋ kŋʷ cɲ cɲʷ t̪n̪ t̪n̪ʷ tn tnʷ ʈɳ ʈɳʷ
Lateral ʎ ʎʷ l̪ l̪ʷ l lʷ ɭ ɭʷ
Approximant w ɰ~ʁ j jʷ ɻ ɻʷ
Tap/Trill r rʷ

/ɰ~ʁ/ is described as velar ([ɰ]) by Breen (2005), and as uvular ([ʁ̞]) by Henderson (2003).

[edit] Vowels

Front Central Back
High (i) (u)
Mid ə
Low a

All dialects have at least /ə a/.

[edit] Phonotactics

The syllable structure of Arrernte is argued to be VC(C) syllable structure, with obligatory codas and no onsets.

[edit] Arrernte in schools

In most primary schools in Alice Springs, students (of all races and nationalities) are taught Arrernte (or in some cases Western Arrernte) as a compulsory language, often alongside French or Indonesian languages. Additionally, most Alice Springs High Schools give the option to study Arrernte language throughout High School as a separate subject, and it can also be learned at Centralian College as part of a TAFE course. Future plans are that it will be included as a university subject.

[edit] Arrernte in workplaces

Many Alice Springs workplaces require for employees to learn at least basic Arrernte in order to communicate effectively with the large numbers of Arrernte people (approximately 25% of Alice Springs residents speak Arrernte as their first language). Many workplaces offer learning of Arrernte as an option and will fund the course.

[edit] References

  • Breen, Gavan (2001). "The wonders of Arandic phonology", in Simpson, Jane, Nash, David, Laughren, Mary, Austin, Peter & Alpher, Barry: Forty Years On: Ken Hale and Australian Languages. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, 45–69. 
  • Breen, Gavan (2005). "Illustrations of the IPA: Central Arrernte". Journal of the International Phonetic Association 35 (2): 249–254. DOI:10.1017/S0025100305002185. 
  • Breen, Gavan; Rob Pensalfini (1999). "Arrernte: A Language with No Syllable Onsets". Linguistic Inquiry 30 (1). 
  • Dixon, R. M. W. (2002). Australian Languages: Their Nature and Development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 
  • Henderson, John (1988). Topics in Eastern and Central Arrernte grammar, PhD dissertation. University of Western Australia. 
  • Henderson, John; Veronica Dobson (1994). Eastern and Central Arrernte to English Dictionary. Alice Springs: IAD Press. 
  • Henderson, John (2003). "The word in Eastern/Central Arrernte", in R. M. W. Dixon and Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald: Word: A Cross-Linguistic Typology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 100–124. 
  • Mathews, R. H. (Oct.–Dec. 1907). "The Arran'da Language, Central Australia". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 46 (187): 322–339. 
  • Strehlow, T. G. H. (1944). Aranda phonetics and grammar. Sydney: Oceania Monographs. 
  • Wilkins, David P. (1988). "Switch-reference in Mparntwe Arrernte (Aranda): form, function, and problems of identity", in Austin, P. K.: Complex sentence constructions in Australian languages. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 141–176. 
  • Wilkins, David P. (1989). Mparntwe Arrernte (Aranda): studies in the structure and semantics of grammar, PhD dissertation, Australian National University. 
  • Wilkins, David P. (1991). "The semantics, pragmatics and diachronic development of "associated motion" in Mparntwe Arrente". Buffalo Working Papers in Linguistics 91: 207–257. 
  • Yallop, C. (1977). Alyawarra, an Aboriginal language of central Australia. Canberra: Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies. 

[edit] External links

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