Gamilaraay language

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Gamilaraay
Region	Central northern New South Wales
Ethnicity	Gamilaraay people
Native speakers	35 speak mixed Gamilaraay–English (2006 census)^[1]
Language family	Pama–Nyungan Wiradhuric Gamilaraay
Dialects	Gamilaraay Yuwaalaraay Yuwaaliyaay (Euahlayi) Gunjbaraay Gawambaraay Wirayaraay (Wiriwiri) Walaraay^[2]
Language codes
ISO 639-3	`kld`
AIATSIS^[3]	`D23`

The Gamilaraay or Kamilaroi (see below for other spellings) language is a Pama–Nyungan language of the Wiradhuric subgroup found mostly in south-east Australia. It was the traditional language of the Kamilaroi people, but is now moribund—according to Ethnologue, there were only 35 speakers left in 2006, all mixing Gamilaraay and English.^[4] However, there are thousands of people of mixed descent both within the native populations as well as immigrant populations, who identify themselves as Kamilaroi. Kamilaroi is also taught in some Australian schools.

Name

The name Gamilaraay means gamil-having, gamil being the word for "no". Other dialects and languages are similarly named after their respective words for "no". (Compare the division between Langue d'oïl and Langue d'oc in France, distinguished by their respective words for "yes".) "yarma" means "hello".

Spellings of the name, pronounced [ɡ̊aˌmilaˈɻaːj] (listen) in the language itself, include:

Camilaroi
Kamalarai
Kamilaroi
Gamilaraay
Gamilaroi

Geographic distribution

A map of the tribes of New South Wales, published in 1892. Gamilaraay is marked I.

Dialects

Yuwaalaraay
Yuwaaliyaay (Euahlayi)
Gunjbaraay
Gawambaraay
Wirayaraay (Wiriwiri)
Walaraay

History

Southern Aboriginal guides led the surveyor John Howe to the upper Hunter River above present-day Singleton in 1819. They told him that the country there was "Coomery Roy [=Gamilaraay] and more further a great way", meaning to the north-west, over the Liverpool Range (see O'Rourke 1997: 29). This is probably the first record of the name.

A basic wordlist collected by Major Thomas Mitchell in February, 1832 is the earliest written record of Gamilaraay.

The Presbyterian missionary William Ridley studied the language from 1852 to 1856.

Phonology

Vowel

	Front	Back
High	i, iː	u, uː
Low	a, aː

/wa/ is realized as [wo].

Consonants

	Peripheral		Laminal		Apical
	Bilabial	Velar	Palatal	Dental	Alveolar	Post- alveolar
Stop	b	ɡ	ɟ	d̪	d
Nasal	m	ŋ	ɲ	n̪	n
Lateral					l
Rhotic					r	ɻ
Semivowel	w		j

Initially, /wu/ and /ji/ may be simplified to [u] and [i].

Stress

All long vowels in a word get equal stress. If there are no long vowels, stress falls on the first syllable.

Secondary stress falls on short vowels which are two syllables to the right or to the left of a stressed syllable.

Grammar

Gamilaraay words in English

Several loanwords have entered Australian English from Gamilaraay, including:

Common nouns
Anglicised form	Gamilaraay	Meaning
bindi-eye, bindii, bindies	bindayaa	The burrs of several plant species that stick in one's feet.
brolga	burralga	A bird species, Grus rubicunda.
possibly budgerigar	gidjirrigaa	A bird species, Melopsittacus undulatus.
galah	gilaa	A bird species, Eolophus roseicapilla
Proper nouns
Anglicised form	Gamilaraay	Meaning
Kamilaroi	gamilaraay	The Gamilaraay people or language.
Placenames
Anglicised form	Gamilaraay	Meaning
Boggabri	bagaaybaraay	having creeks
Boggabilla	bagaaybila	full of creeks
Collarenebri	galariinbaraay	having acacia blossoms

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

References

↑ Gamilaraay reference at Ethnologue (17th ed., 2013)
↑ Dixon, R. M. W. (2002). Australian Languages: Their Nature and Development. Cambridge University Press. p. xxxiv.
↑ Gamilaraay at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
↑ "Gamilaraay". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2013-12-10.

Austin, Peter (1993). A Reference Dictionary of Gamilaraay, northern New South Wales. La Trobe University.

Ash, Anna et al. Gamilaraay, Yuwaaaraay and Yuwaalayaay Dictionary. Alice Springs: IAD Press 2003.

Dixon, R. M. W. (2002). Australian Languages: Their Nature and Development. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-47378-0, ISBN 978-0-521-47378-1 Check |isbn= value (help).
Mathews, R. H. (Jul–Dec 1903). "Languages of the Kamilaroi and Other Aboriginal Tribes of New South Wales". The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland (The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. 33) 33: 259–283. doi:10.2307/2842812. JSTOR 2842812.
O'Rourke, Michael. The Kamilaroi Lands. Canberra, 1997.
Ridley, William (1856). "On the Kamilaroi Tribe of Australians and Their Dialect". Journal of the Ethnological Society of London (Journal of the Ethnological Society of London (1848-1856), Vol. 4) 4: 285–293. doi:10.2307/3014109. JSTOR 3014109.

External links

v t e Aboriginal anthropology in New South Wales

Aboriginal nations	Koori Kuringgai Murri (mainly Qld bordering NSW)

Aboriginal peoples	Awabakal Bigambul Bundjalung Darkinjung Darug Dunghutti Eora Gandangara Githabul Gumbaynggirr Kamilaroi Kumbainggiri Nari-Nari Ngarabal Nganyaywana Ngarigo Ngunnawal Tharawal Thaua Walgalu Wandandian Wiradjuri Wonnarua Worimi Yuin

Aboriginal clans	Awaba Baranbinja Bidjigal Birrabirrigal Bool-bain-ora Boorooberongal Boregegal Burramattagal Cabrigal Cadigal Cammeraygal Cannemegal Cannalgal Cattai Dural Garigal Gommerigal Gorualgal Gringai Gweagal Jerrinja Kurrajong Mulgoa Muringong Murrawari Ngambri Ngemba Turuwal Ualayai Walbanga Walkeloa Walligal Wallumedegal Wanegal Weilwan

Aboriginal languages	Awabakal Bandjalang (or Bundjalung) Darkinjung Dharug (or Eora) Djiringanj Gamilaraay (or Yuwaaliyaay) Gundungurra Nari-Nari Ngunawal Tharawal (or Dharawal) Wiradjuri Worimi

See also: List of Indigenous Australian group names

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