There are only three Australian languages identified by The World Atlas of Language Structures Online which are reported to have case-prefixes, which are Burarra, Gurr-goni, and Mara (or Marra). Previously in this series, we have looked at one particular language spoken in Australia which uses a relatively rare system of case prefixes, albeit a rather … Continue reading Languages with case prefixes? (Australia Pt 2)
Languages of Australia
Languages with case prefixes? (Australia Pt 1)
In some of the world's languages, one would be no stranger to the concept of grammatical case. Briefly put, it is the word or word modifier that reflects one or more grammatical functions the modified word plays in a given sentence or clause. Sometimes these case systems are rather elaborate, often taking up the functions … Continue reading Languages with case prefixes? (Australia Pt 1)
The language behind the name of an iconic Australian bird
Australia is home to some of the world's most iconic wildlife. While we have covered some of Australia's marsupials previously, this time, we will cover Australia's birds. While there is the cassowary, a large flightless bird, there is also the bird that is named Australia's national bird, the emu, and there is a whole group … Continue reading The language behind the name of an iconic Australian bird
The language that gave us the word ‘kangaroo’ — Guugu Yimithirr
When we talk about marsupials, Australia immediately comes to mind. It is home to many kinds of iconic marsupials, such as the dingo, sugar glider, and the wombat. But amongst them all, is the national animal of Australia -- the kangaroo. The etymology of the word 'kangaroo' has been muddied in misconception before, but this … Continue reading The language that gave us the word ‘kangaroo’ — Guugu Yimithirr
The language that gave Melbourne’s river its name
Melbourne is one of Australia's largest cities, alongside Sydney and Brisbane. Located in the very south of the state of Victoria, Melbourne is located along Port Philip, with a population of close to 5 million people. The Yarra River runs through this city, emptying into Hobsons Bay in Port Philip Bay. As one might suspect, … Continue reading The language that gave Melbourne’s river its name
The languages in the world’s largest shire
There are many names given to administrative divisions around the world. We are familiar with states, counties, provinces, parishes, prefectures, arrondissements, boroughs, districts and so on, but today, we will look at the administrative division called a shire. We are generally familiar with the regions associated with this word, most likely as a suffix, and … Continue reading The languages in the world’s largest shire
The Australian languages with fricatives
The indigenous languages of Australia are particularly remarkable for their rather shared pattern of sounds. With generally not more than three or five vowels which may or may not be contrasted by length, and sharing many places of articulation for their consonants, these sounds have come to generally define what the indigenous languages of Australia … Continue reading The Australian languages with fricatives
Talking about otitis media
In some of the past journal club essays, we have looked at the underlying environmental factors that could influence linguistic diversity of a region, or certain characteristics of languages like tones and sonority. But to claim that certain diseases do impact the characteristics of a certain group of languages seems a bit farfetched. Recently, I … Continue reading Talking about otitis media
Australia’s only Papuan language
The Torres Strait Islands contain two of the more unusual examples of indigenous Australian languages. Quite a while ago, we have seen the Kala Lagaw Ya language, which I had remarked as being unusual, as it contained some sounds unusual to the Australian languages, as well as its rather low proportion of cognates with its … Continue reading Australia’s only Papuan language
Does this language really have only 3 verbs?
Verbs are pretty much a universal occurrence in natural languages across the world. After all, their main function in a clause or sentence is to express a certain action, a certain state, or a certain occurrence in relation to other constituent parts of a sentence. But languages treat verbs differently from other languages, with some … Continue reading Does this language really have only 3 verbs?
The most grammatically complex (?) Australian language
What makes a language complex? Is it the grammatical elaborateness of a language, or is it the specific nuances a language can discern through some form of grammatical inflection or otherwise? Investigating this area of linguistics has been mired in controversy and prejudice, as the 19th century view of language complexity hinged on meeting the … Continue reading The most grammatically complex (?) Australian language
Why does Australia not seem to have any indigenous writing system?
For most of us today, we read and write our languages in various writing systems -- some use alphabets, some use syllabaries, and some decide, why not, just use a bunch of them together. Despite the ubiquity and importance of writing in various societies today, most languages across the world are predominantly only spoken, with … Continue reading Why does Australia not seem to have any indigenous writing system?
The language where verbs also conjugate… by case?
For a great many of us language learners, knowing when a particular case is used, and its associated endings are probably frustrating enough. Nouns and adjectives are probably the word categories where one would find these endings the most, while other languages might do things a bit differently and add case particles or markers instead. … Continue reading The language where verbs also conjugate… by case?
The languages that were once spoken on Tasmania
Tasmania, the southernmost state of the Australian Commonwealth. It has been inhabited by indigenous Australians since first arriving around 40 000 years ago, but it was not until the 18th century when first contact with European explorers was established. But less than a century later, every indigenous language once spoken on this island would go … Continue reading The languages that were once spoken on Tasmania
The diminutive in Australian English
In language, we have different forms of expressing endearment or how small something is. For people, we often notice this in names. In Russian, for example, the diminutive for names is often suffixed with a "-nya", "-k", or "-ka". For instance, Alexander has Sashok or Shurochka, Fiodor has Fedyenka, and Danil (or Daniel) has Danya. … Continue reading The diminutive in Australian English
A look at Australia’s unusual language — Kala Lagaw Ya
The Torres Strait Islands are a group of more than 270 islands straddling the Torres Strait, which separates Australia from the island of New Guinea. On them, live about 4 500 inhabitants, according to a 2016 census. Some of them speak a language indigenous to the central and western Torres Strait Islands, although it is … Continue reading A look at Australia’s unusual language — Kala Lagaw Ya
Probably the weirdest language crossover
What happens when a bunch of speakers with no common language come together and want to communicate? A simplified form of the languages involved starts to form, usually impromptu, or through social conventions. Pidgins are not considered a native language by any speech community, instead learned as a second language (L2). However, pidgins usually form … Continue reading Probably the weirdest language crossover
Languages of Australia — Tiwi (Tunuvivi)
In the field of language isolates, finding examples which maintain a sizable speaking population today is quite hard. Many language isolates are after all, extinct, or teetering to the brink of extinction. And on the other extreme, there are language isolates which still enjoy a vibrant status like Korean. The language we are covering today … Continue reading Languages of Australia — Tiwi (Tunuvivi)
Languages of Australia — Muruwari
In Australia, lies a micronation no one recognises. Spanning the territory along the state border of New South Wales and Queensland, Australia, this corresponded to the traditional homeland of the Murrawarri people. It declared its independence in 30 March 2013 from Australia, and even brought their sovereignty campaign to the United Nations to request for … Continue reading Languages of Australia — Muruwari
Languages of Australia — Burragorang (Ngunawal – Gundungurra)
While browsing the various realms of the Internet for things about languages I find interesting, this one caught my attention: Interpret it for yourself, but its supposed intended message was to notify the motorist that the Maccas' at Yass opened at 6am. So what is Yass exactly? It turned out that Yass is a town … Continue reading Languages of Australia — Burragorang (Ngunawal – Gundungurra)
The Only German-based Creole — Unserdeutsch (Rabaul Creole German)
Here on this site, we have covered several creoles based on various languages, from Japanese-based creole called Yilan Creole Japanese spoken in Taiwan, to the Portuguese-based creole, Papiah Kristang spoken in Malaysia and Singapore. In this post, we will cover yet another special creole, this time, the only known German-based creole spoken in the world, … Continue reading The Only German-based Creole — Unserdeutsch (Rabaul Creole German)
Languages of Australia – Arrernte (Upper Arrernte)
Our first dive into the indigenous languages of Australia takes us into the Northern Territory, home of the Arrernte, Alyawarre, Anmatyerre, Ayerrereng and Yuruwinga peoples. Although these people groups are indeed diverse, they speak various dialects of a language, or dialect cluster, of a language known as Arrernte. With a total of 4 537 native … Continue reading Languages of Australia – Arrernte (Upper Arrernte)
Languages of Australia — An Introduction to Australian Aboriginal Languages
The Commonwealth of Australia is vast. Not only does it encompass the mainland of the Australian continent, it also includes the islands of Tasmania and the Torres Strait. A country of more than 25 million, it is quite surprising that many people know little of the languages spoken in Australia beyond the English language. It … Continue reading Languages of Australia — An Introduction to Australian Aboriginal Languages
The Language Closet 