Ngarrindjeri, also written Narrinyeri, Ngarinyeri and other variants, is the language of the Ngarrindjeri and related peoples of southern South Australia. Five dialects have been distinguished by a 2002 study: Warki, Tanganekald, Ramindjeri, Portaulun and Yaraldi (orYaralde Tingar).
Ngarrindjerri is Pama–Nyungan. McDonald (2002) distinguishes five dialects: Warki, Tanganekald, Ramindjeri, Portaulun and Yaraldi.[2] Bowern (2011) lists the Yaraldi, Ngarrindjeri, and Ramindjeri varieties as separate languages.[3]
Tanganekald, also known as Thangal,[4] is now extinct.[5]
In 1864, the publication of the Ngarrindjerri Bible was the first time portions of the Bible were translated into an Aboriginal language. 8 Genesis 2:8 follows in Ngarrindjerri from the 1864 translation and a literal English translation.[6]
"Jehovah winmin gardenowe Edenald, kile yuppun ityan korn gardenungai."
"Jehovah God planted a garden in Eden, toward the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed."
The last fluent speaker of Ngarrindjerri died in the 1960s, but there have been attempts to revive the language in the 21st century, including the release of a Ngarrindjeri dictionary in 2009.[7] The work of Lutheran missionaries Christian Teichelmann and Clamor Schürmann in the early days of the colonisation of South Australia have contributed enormously to the revival of both Ngarrindjeri and Kaurna.[8]
A second edition of the dictionary was published in 2019, with 500 additional words, bringing the total to 4,200. Ngarrindjeri elder Phyllis Williams has been collaborating with linguist Mary-Anne Gale for many years, teaching the language to adults and developing resources to aid language revival.[9][10]
The third, expanded edition of the dictionary, again compiled by Gale and Williams, was published by AIATSIS in 2020.[11] Hundreds of new words have been added, including words for items which did not exist in the 19th century, such as "solar panel".[12]
The musical group Deadly Nannas (Nragi Muthar) have been writing and singing songs in Ngarrindjerri and English, and using them to help teach the language in schools and other venues.[13][14]
Linguist Ghil'ad Zuckermann suggests that the original pronunciation of Ngarrindjeri had two distinct rhotic consonants: the first was rr (as in Italian) and the second was r (as in English).[15]: 198 However, in revitalized Ngarrindjeri, both rhotics "are pronounced unlike English".[15]: 198 Zuckermann analyses this phenomenon as over-applied, hypercorrect "emblematicity" due to Othering: the Ngarrindjeri revivalists are trying to define themselves vis-à-vis the "Other", distancing themselves from "the colonizers' mother tongue, Australian English" (even at the expense of losing one of their own original rhotics).[15]: 198
Other names include Jarildekald, Jaralde, Yarilde, Yarrildie, Jaraldi, Lakalinyeri, Warawalde, Yalawarre, Yarildewallin (although as mentioned above, Yaraldi is regarded as a dialect[2]).
Berndt, Berndt & Stanton (1993) wrote: "The appropriate traditional categorisation of the whole group was Kukabrak: this term, as we mention again below, was used by these people to differentiate themselves from neighbours whom they regarded as being socio-culturally and linguistically dissimilar. However, the term Narrinyeri has been used consistently in the literature and by Aborigines today who recognise a common descent from original inhabitants of this region-- even though their traditional identifying labels have been lost."[16]
^University of South Australia, "Preserving Indigenous culture through language", 16 May 2008,[1]Archived 5 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 15 January 2010.
^Gale, Mary-Anne; Williams, Phyllis (2020). Ngarrindjeri dictionary (3rd (complete) ed.). Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Press. ISBN978-0-9946336-4-4.
Cerin, Mark (1994). The pronominal system of Yaraldi (BA honours thesis). University of Melbourne. hdl:11343/285608.
Gale, Mary-Anne (1997). Dhanum Djorra'wuy Dhawu: A history of writing in Aboriginal languages. Underdale: Aboriginal Research Institute. doi:10.1017/S031058220000612X. NLA180661.
McDonald, Maryalyce (1977). A study of the phonetics and phonology of Yaraldi and associated dialects. Australian National University. ProQuest2598642936. NLA2555049.
Taplin, George (1879). The Folklore, Manners, Customs, and Languages of the South Australian Aborigines. Adelaide: Government Printer. NLA223327.
Taplin, George (1892). "Grammar of the language spoken by the Narrinyeri tribe in S. Australia". In Fraser, John (ed.). An Australian Language. Sydney: Government Printer. pp. 28–43 of appendix.
Yallop, Colin; Grimwade, Gordon (1975). Narinjari: an outline of the language studied by George Taplin, with Taplin's notes and comparative table. Vol. 2. University of Sydney.
