Mayi-Kulan language

(Redirected from Maithakari language)

Mayi-Kulan is an extinct Mayi language formerly spoken on the Cape York Peninsula of Queensland, Australia.

Mayi-Kulan
Maykulan
Native toAustralia
RegionCape York Peninsula, Queensland
EthnicityMaikulan, Maithakari, Maijabi
Extinct(date missing)
Dialects
  • Mayi-Kulan
  • Mayi-Thakurti
  • Mayi-Yapi
Language codes
ISO 639-3Variously:
xyk – Mayi-Kulan (Wunumara)
xyt – Mayi-Thakurti
xyj – Mayi-Yapi
Glottologmayk1239
AIATSIS[1]G25 Mayi-Kulan, G16 Mayi-Thakurti, G20 Mayi-Yapi
ELPMayi-Kulan
 Mayi-Thakurti[2]
 Mayi-Yapi[3]

Mayi-Kulan and its dialects may be dialects of Ngawun/Wunumara.

Phonology

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Consonants

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Peripheral Laminal Apical
Labial Velar Dental Alveolo-
palatal
Alveolar Retroflex
Plosive p k t̠ʲ t ʈ
Nasal m ŋ n̠ʲ n ɳ
Rhotic ɾ
Lateral l̠ʲ l ɭ
Approximant w j ɻ
  • Unlike most other Mayi languages, /l̠ʲ/ in Mayi-Thakurti, and Wunumara is phonemic.[4]

Vowels

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Front Back
Close i, iː u, uː
Open a, aː

Vocabulary

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Below is a basic vocabulary list from Blake (1981).[5]

English Mayi-Yabi
man pantyil
woman panya
mother yakura
father mutyu
head ngankul
eye mili
nose kunyin
ear pinar
mouth yatyin
tongue ngulan
tooth yatyayin
hand malaru
breast ṯampu
stomach ngapurra
urine kipara
faeces waṉṯu
thigh ṯarru
foot tyana
bone ṯimul
blood kapul
dog yampi
snake tyinyur
kangaroo matyumpa
possum kakuny
fish palpi
spider kupu
mosquito wungkuny
emu tyungkupari
eaglehawk kurriṯala
crow waya
sun maṉṯara
moon kukara
star tyinpi
stone mirnti
water kamu
camp makiya
fire yangu
smoke kumiri
food maṉṯa
meat kaṯi
stand ṯari
sit yini
see ṉama
go wapi
get mantyi
hit puntyi
I ngayu
you yuntu
one kuruny
two pulakara

References

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  1. ^ G25 Mayi-Kulan at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies  (see the info box for additional links)
  2. ^ Endangered Languages Project data for Mayi-Thakurti.
  3. ^ Endangered Languages Project data for Mayi-Yapi.
  4. ^ Breen, Gavan (1981). The Mayi languages of the Queensland Gulf Country. Canberra: AIAS. pp. 21–31.
  5. ^ Blake, Barry J. (1981). Australian Aboriginal languages: a general introduction. London: Angus & Robertson Publishers. ISBN 0-207-14044-8.