Narungga (also Narangga) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Narungga people in Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. As a result of the colonisation of Australia, the Narungga language fell into disuse within several generations. Nevertheless, Narungga continued to be documented into the 20th century, and the 1980s saw a community reclamation. As a result of revival efforts, the language along with Narungga culture is now being taught around the Yorke Peninsula, from Moonta and Maitland Area Schools to Point Pearce.

Narungga
Narangga
Native toAustralia
RegionSouth Australia
EthnicityNarungga people
Extinctc. 1936[1]
Revival1980s[1]
25 speakers (2016 census)[2]
Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-3nnr
nnr
Glottolognaru1238
AIATSIS[2]L1
ELPNarungga

Narungga is one of the languages in the Yura group, which includes Nukunu, Kaurna, and Ngadjuri, among others, and belongs to the Pama–Nyungan family.

Phonology

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Consonants

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Peripheral Laminal Apical
Labial Velar Dental Palatal Alveolar Retroflex
Plosive b ɡ ɟ d ɖ
Nasal plain m ŋ ɲ n ɳ
pre-stopped ɟɲ dn ɖɳ
Tap/Trill r ɽ
Lateral plain ʎ l ɭ
pre-stopped ɟʎ dl ɖɭ
Approximant w j ɻ
  • The voiced stops /b, ɡ, d̪, ɟ, d, ɖ/ may be heard as voiceless, when geminated as [pː, kː, t̪ː, cː, tː, ʈː].

Vowels

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Front Back
Close i u
Open a

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Wanganeen and Eira, pp. 4-5.
  2. ^ a b L1 Narungga at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies

References

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  • Wanganeen, Tania; Eira, Christina (2006). "Introduction". The Fragments of Budderer's Waddy: A New Narungga Grammar. Maitland, South Australia: Narungga Aboriginal Progress Association, Inc.
  • Nharangga Warra: Narungga Dictionary. Maitland, South Australia: Narungga Aboriginal Progress Association, Inc. 2006.