Wik-Ngathan language
| Wik-Ngathan | |
|---|---|
| Wik-Iinjtjenj | |
| Native to | Australia |
| Region | Cape York Peninsula, Queensland |
| Ethnicity | Wiknatanja, Wik-Kalkan |
Native speakers | 3 (2016 census)[1] |
Pama–Nyungan
| |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Either:wig – Wik Ngathanwik – Wikalkan |
| Glottolog | wikn1245 Wik-Ngathana |
| AIATSIS[2] | Y54 Wik Ngathan, Y51 Wik Ngatharr |
| ELP | Wik-Ngathana |
 Wik-Ngathan is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
| Coordinates: 13°52′S 141°31′E / 13.867°S 141.517°E | |
Wik-Ngathan, or Wik-Iinjtjenj (Wik-Iinychanya), is a Paman language spoken on the Cape York Peninsula of Queensland, Australia, by the Wik-Ngathan people. It is closely related to the other Wik-Ngathan language, Wik-Ngatharr and more distantly to the other Wik languages. In 1981 there were 130 speakers.[3]
A dictionary of Wik-Ngathan has been compiled by Peter Sutton.[4]
Phonology
Consonants
| Peripheral | Laminal | Apical | Glottal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labial | Velar | Dental | Palatal | Alveolar | ||
| Plosive | p | k | t̪ | c | t | ʔ |
| Nasal | m | ŋ | n̪ | ɲ | n | |
| Lateral | l | |||||
| Tap/Trill | ɾ ~ r | |||||
| Approximant | w | j | ɹ | |||
- Sounds /m, n̪, n, ŋ, l/ are heard as syllabic [m̩, n̩, n̪̩, ŋ̍, l̩] when following consonants. A schwa [ə] may also be heard between as well, and may be heard as [ʊ] within the context of bilabials and as [ɪ] within the context of palatal consonants.
- /j/ can also be heard as [ɟ] when under extreme emphasis.
- Nasals may also be pre-stopped when under extreme emphasis.
- /l, n/ may be heard as pre-ploded-syllabic [ᵈl̩, ᵈn̩], when following consonants.
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | i iː | y yː | u uː | |
| Mid | e eː | o oː | ||
| Low | a aː | |||
- The high-fronted vowel sounds /y, yː/, may vary in position to [œ, œː].[5]
References
- ^ "Census 2016, Language spoken at home by Sex (SA2+)". stat.data.abs.gov.au. ABS. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
- ^ Y54 Wik Ngathan at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (see the info box for additional links)
- ^ Ethnologue
- ^ Sutton, Peter (1995). Wik-Ngathan Dictionary.
- ^ Sutton, Peter John (1978). The Wik-Ngathana Language. Wik: Aboriginal Society, Territory and Language at Cape Keerweer, Cape York Peninsula, Australia: Brisbane: University of Queensland. pp. 234–241.
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