Giimbiyu language

Giimbiyu is an extinct Aboriginal Australian language isolate once spoken by the Giimbiyu people of northern Australia.

Giimbiyu
Mangerr
Native toAustralia
RegionNorthern Territory
Extinct(date unknown perhaps a couple speakers remaining in 1981)[1]
Language isolate or Arnhem Land?
  • Giimbiyu
Dialects
  • Mangerr
  • Erri
  • Urningangga
Language codes
ISO 639-3Variously:
zme – Mangerr
urc – Urningangg
err – Erre
Glottologgiim1238
AIATSIS[2]N220
Giimbiyu (purple), among other non-Pama-Nyungan languages (grey)

The name Giimbiyu is a Gaagudju word for 'of the stoney country'. It was introduced in Harvey (1992) as a cover term for the named dialects,[2]

  • Mangerr (Mengerrdji)
  • Urningangga (Wuningak) and Erri (Arri)

In 1997 Nicholas Evans proposed an Arnhem Land family that includes the Giimbiyu languages. However, they are not included in Bowern (2011).[3]

Vocabulary

Capell (1942) lists the following basic vocabulary items:[4]

glossMangeriUningangk
man wurilgwurig
woman ŋeːnŋeːn
head wiliŋermulŋerb
eye iːmiːm
nose jingolmingolb
mouth jagirindjaːd
tongue nindjadjindjaːd
stomach abeɽweɽeabeɽwe
bone ijermmulgud
blood maneŋulmwaija
kangaroo oidjbaɣarwurulamb
opossum muŋaːdmalijarŋ
emu wiwijüwiwidjiw
crow gagudgagud
fly muɳimuɳimaŋanaŋaɳ
sun muɣaːliŋindjuwawi
moon järagäljäragäl
fire wiɽumgarmwidjälim
smoke wuŋɛŋgwuŋɛŋg
water ogogogog

References
  1. Mangerr at Ethnologue (14th ed., 2000).
    Urningangg at Ethnologue (14th ed., 2000).
    Erre at Ethnologue (14th ed., 2000).
  2. N220 Giimbiyu at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
  3. Bowern, Claire. 2011. "How Many Languages Were Spoken in Australia?", Anggarrgoon: Australian languages on the web, December 23, 2011 (corrected February 6, 2012)
  4. Capell, Arthur. 1941-1942, 1942-1943. Languages of Arnhem Land, North Australia. Oceania 12: 364-392, 13: 24-51.
  • McConvell, Patrick and Nicholas Evans. (eds.) 1997. Archaeology and Linguistics: Global Perspectives on Ancient Australia. Melbourne: Oxford University Press
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