Mingginda or Minkin is an extinct Australian Aboriginal language, perhaps a language isolate, of northern Australia. It was spoken by the Mingin people in the area around Burketown, on the southern coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria, in an area that contains the headwaters of the Leichhardt River.[1]
| Mingginda | |
|---|---|
| Minkin | |
| Native to | Australia |
| Region | Burketown, Queensland |
| Ethnicity | Mingin people |
| Extinct | late 19th century[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | xxm |
| Glottolog | mink1237 |
| AIATSIS[2] | G26 |
The classification of Minkin is uncertain, primarily due to a lack of data. It has been suggested that it may have been related to the Yiwaidjan or Tankic language families. Evans (1990) believes it has been demonstrated to be a Tankic language, more distant than the others are to each other; this is accepted in Bowern (2011).[3]
Phonology
editConsonants
edit| Peripheral | Laminal | Apical | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labial | Velar | Dental | Palatal | Alveolar | Retroflex | |
| Plosive | p | k | t̪ | c | t | ʈ |
| Nasal | m | ŋ | (n̪) | ɲ | n | ɳ |
| Rhotic | (ɾ~r) | (ɻ) | ||||
| Lateral | (l̪) | ʎ | l | ɭ | ||
| Approximant | w | j | ||||
Consonants in parentheses are unattested, but may have existed.
Vowels
edit| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | u | |
| Low | a |
It is not possible to tell if there was vowel length.[1]
Vocabulary
editMinkin data reconstituted by Evans (1990):[1]
gloss Minkin man (Aboriginal) ŋaRka (ŋařka) 'the blacks' yaŋ(k)ana; wampuRa; kOmu; miŋ(k)u white man piʈa; Takantana young man kulankali; wuRunta (wuɽunta) boy, children wuRaRa baby (also 'little', 'younger brother') piltʸinkuRa girl puLupuLa (puɭupuɭa) woman maku old man paʈiŋaRa old woman waʈikiRi (waʈikiři) father kEyatʸi mother kuntuŋu sister wuŋ(k)uRa-paŋa; yilulaŋa brother, elder Naŋkalʸ or Naŋkay brother, younger piRtʸinkuRa mother's mother TiTila God tʸORpuyu ghosts paʈa 'being who taught them everything' kuwaRi head wiʈa hair of head puLumpa hair of beard, beard yaRinʸa, yaRiŋa eye mitʸELa ear maRa (mařa) mouth paRka teeth liya tongue THalŋa ~ THanŋa nose kiwiRa face yiRa neck panTaLmaRa shoulder tʸaʈa breasts, milk ŋukula back kOnTa (kanta) stomach paʈaka; puLtʸi chest payuLa thigh piLpa; t̪anpa leg tʸila ankle mukuLa foot tʸaŋ(k)a track of a foot tʸaŋ(k)ay, tʸaNa arm waLERa wrist muni-muni; maNay-maNay hand ŋaRŋaRa (ŋařŋařa) fingers ŋařa skin pakuRu bone TimERa (ʈimiřa) blood takana fat paRaŋ(k)a (paɽaŋka) bowels, excrement TORa (ʈuRa) excrement malina kangaroo punkana; tʸaku-tʸaku possum wapuRa tame dog kutu wild dog, dingo mitʸilpaRa emu puLanʸtʸana black duck piyanʸtʸuRa wood duck yapiRa- muntunʸtʸiRa pelican yukuTaRa; pitiltu laughing jackass (kookaburra) TalkuRa (t̪alkuřa) native companion (brolga) Tila-TalkuRa; puRalku white cockatoo TayalpuwaRa; kaRimpala crow waŋkuLa swan kunankuta wild turkey piRinkuRa egg yapipa snake palaŋ(k)aRa; pakanpapa fish waRa crayfish miNTuLa mosquito kalaRaŋ(k)a (kalařaŋka) fly wuŋaRa; kuRiNa grass kOɳa (kaɳa); puLpa bark kuRumpa; pakuRu wood wiLa; wiLaTaLOnti (wiLa t̪alunti) war-spear waRinwaRina; maLtʸiNTaRa reed-spear waRin; ŋuRmi (ŋuřmi) woomera piRi (piři) shield Taʈuna; tʸaRpi (tʸařpi) tomahawk THaʈiyapina; tʸaRiwiNTila boomerang waŋila carvings on boomerang waLitʸi canoe kamiRa camp NETa (ɳat̪a) (ŋita) fire wiLa heat yaLuLu (yalulu); mawuRina smoke Tumpuɳa; kuya-kuya light NawaNawa; kawuntuNaRay dark (= night) kawuNTi water, rain wat̪a food La(R)kuLa honey (= fat) paRaŋ(k)a (paɽaŋka) thirsty NVRmuNTu (ŋawaRmuNTu) hungry NaLu stone, hill kapaʈa ground kuʈa river kaTaRa (kat̪ařa) lake, lagoon paNka swamp wuɭpa sea mawORa sun tʸiRiŋaŋa moon palaŋatʸi moon; star (?) piRiŋ(k)a (piɽiŋka) star; sky (?) TaLaLa (ʈalala) thunder piʈimaRa(-Ta) wind waRmaRa (wařmaɽa) rain puLuLaŋ(k)ana day palmanmaLamaLa; yiɳanʸtʸi today yanaNiŋ(k)a, yanaLiŋ(k)a night miLimaʈa; kawuNTi yesterday kawuNTiwa; yaluNTay dawn ŋaNaRaNa, yuNaRaNa tomorrow kawuNTu, kawuNTuŋ(k)aRa by-and-by kiTaNTa ŋatʸa cold KuRiNa (ŋuřina) good puRuka bad TuRka big puLaNa; kuNamiRa (kunʸamiřa) little; baby piltʸinkuRa dead, rotten pukayaNa, puka sweet kaRaLkaRaLa one tʸuwaRnʸu ~ tʸuwaLnʸu two Tikinʸa three Tantʸilta four Tikintalʸu- TuwaLʸu, TikintʸaLinʸa plenty, many yunkuna; wan(a)puRa none, no wiɳiŋa; Wawiŋa any waNTini some tʸiliŋa same man̪t̪anʸi other tʸawuNiliŋa to walk yaNkiya to walk, go yapu to run Taŋanʸi to go away tʸawuyu to come here ŋatʸa to sit Ninʸa; kuNuyu to take kawapa to hold niŋapa to let him go yiɭayaNkipa to give wuNapa to burn with fire Nalapa to make piʈimapa to sleep yuŋ(k)uyu to die yuRpiyu to live piRitʸinʸa to eat TayaTaya, TaRa to drink WawunTini to speak watʸi to see Nawapa to feel (yu)wiŋapa to hear (yu)wiŋʸtʸin- ta(R)watʸiNa to know mitʸil-maRa yes Niya (ŋiya) 'Name of a place where the being camped' maalpay or maalpi Marriage class A (male) LiyaRaNu Marriage class C (female, marries A) kaŋila Marriage class B (male, marries D) kayaLOLa Marriage class D (female, marries B) ŋařitʸpalaŋi Where are the blacks? TaɳaŋaRa komu?; TaɳaŋaRa miŋ(k)u I don't know. waNTaŋ Naŋ(k)i kuʈa; waNTaŋ Nanʸtʸi kuʈa
Animals
edit- jaco-jaco (kangaroo)
- kallanarra (mosquito)
- karimbala (white cockatoo)
- koodoo (tame dog)
- koorina (fly)
- megilpurra (wild dog)
- ooabiba (egg)
- paganbaba (snake)
- piringooraa (wild turkey)
- piteldoo (pelican)
- poolunganna (emu)
- pooralga (native companion)
- wapoora (possum)
- wongoola (crow)
- worra (fish)
Body parts
edit- bilba (thigh)
- boormba (hair of the head)
- changa (foot)
- charn-nga (tongue)
- dimira (bone)
- kiwira (nose)
- lia (teeth)
- makola (breasts)
- mara (ear)
- migilla (eye)
- na-nga-ra (hand)
- pagooroo (skin)
- paranga (fat)
- pardaga (stomach)
- parka (mouth)
- tangana (blood)
- turra (bowel and excrement)
- wedda (head)
- yarin-nga (beard)
Numbers
edit- choarng-ngo (one)
- tigina (two)
- tarngiltna (three)
People
edit- birgenkoora (brother-younger)
- churbooyo (God)
- kiagi (father)
- koo-ar-ee (being who taught them everything)
- koondoonoo (mother)
- magoo (black woman)
- nacile (brother-elder)
- nurka (aboriginal man)
- ooardigiri (old woman)
- ooroonda (a young man)
- parda (ghosts)
- pardingara (an old man)
- pelgincorra (a baby)
- takandana (a white man)
- tano ara mingoo? (where are black?)
- tyana (track of a foot)
- wompoora (the blacks)
- yillolunga (sister-elder)
Source: Curr 1886, p. 314
References
edit
Wiktionary has a word list at Appendix:Minkin word list
- ^ a b c d e Evans, Nicholas (1990). "The Minkin language of the Burketown region". In Geoffrey N. O'Grady & Darrell T. Tryon (ed.). Studies in Comparative Pama-Nyungan. Volume 111 of Pacific Linguistics. Australian National University. pp. 173–207. ISBN 978-0-85883-388-3.
- ^ G26 Mingginda at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
- ^ Bowern, Claire. 2011. "How Many Languages Were Spoken in Australia?", Anggarrgoon: Australian languages on the web, December 23, 2011 (corrected February 6, 2012)
- Curr, Edward Micklethwaite (1886). "On the west bank of the Leichardt River, near the sea. Mingin tribe" (PDF). In Curr, Edward Micklethwaite (ed.). The Australian race: its origin, languages, customs, place of landing in Australia and the routes by which it spread itself over the continent. Vol. 2. Melbourne: J. Ferres. pp. 314–315 – via Internet Archive.