Arandic languages

Arandic is a family of Australian Aboriginal languages consisting of several languages or dialect clusters, including the Arrernte (Upper Arrernte) group, Lower Arrernte (also known as Lower Southern Arrernte), Pertame language (also known as Southern Arrernte) and Kaytetye.

Arandic
Geographic distribution	South Australia
Linguistic classification	Pama–Nyungan Arandic–Thura-Yura Arandic
Subdivisions	Arrernte group Lower Arrernte Pertame Kaytetye
Glottolog	aran1267
Arandic languages (green) among other Pama–Nyungan (tan)

Languages

• Upper Arrernte (or just Arrernte) dialect cluster, with five or six main dialects, with the most dominant being Central or Eastern Arrernte, which is spoken in and around Alice Springs (Mparntwe) itself.
• Lower Arrernte, also known as Alenjerrntarpe and Lower Southern Arrernte, was spoken by the people around the Finke River area, but it is now extinct. The last speaker was Brownie Doolan, from whom Gavan Breen managed to write up a dictionary of roughly 1000 words.^[1] According to AIATSIS, this was a clearly distinct language.
• Pertame, also known as Southern Arrernte, is from the country south of Alice Springs, along the Finke River, north and north-west of the location of speakers of Lower Arrernte.^[2] With only 20 fluent speakers left by 2018,^[3] the Pertame Project is seeking to retain and revive the language, headed by Pertame elder Christobel Swan.^[4] Renowned artist Erlikilyika (Jim Kite) was a Pertame speaker. Ethnologue classes Pertame as a variant name for Lower Southern, but other sources vary in their classifications and descriptions of this language.
• Kaytetye, spoken near Barrow Creek and Tennant Creek by the Kaytetye people,^[5] had only 120 speakers in the 2016 census, and the number has been decreasing.^[6]

Differing classifications

There are differing opinions as to which are dialects and which separate languages, among linguists and among the Arrernte people themselves.

• Koch (2004) only distinguished two dialects, Upper Arrernte and Katetye.
• Glottolog defines the Arandic group as comprising five Aranda (also known as Arrernte)^[7] dialects, plus two distinct languages, Kaytetye (Koch, 2006) and Lower Southern (or just Lower) Aranda, an extinct language.^[8]
• Ethnologue defines eight Arandic languages and classifies them slightly differently.^[9]

Proto-language

Proto-Arandic
Reconstruction of	Arandic languages
Reconstructed ancestor	Proto-Pama–Nyungan

Proto-Arandic and Pre-Arandic reconstructions from Koch (2004):^[10]

gloss	Proto-Arandic	Pre-Arandic
armpit	*ilhenpe	*CilhVnpV
blood	*arrknge	*CVrrngV
brain	*ake+urrnge	*kaka+CurrngV
breast	*atye	*CatyV
egg	*ukarte	*muka+artV
face	*inngerre	*NinngVrrV
fat	*antere	*NantOrV
hand, finger	*iltye	*miltyV “claw”
nasal mucus	*yungkel	*CYungkVl
sweat	*anytyeye	*CantyVyV
tendon	*alurrnge	*CalO+CurrngV
thigh	*uylepere	*warli+pVrV
throat	*ahentye	*CaakVntyV
man	*urte	*CurtO
person, woman?	*arelhe	*CarVlhV
female	*amarle	*ngama+arlV
dreaming	*altyerre	*CaltyVrrV
camp	*apmere	*TamVrV
single men's camp	*arnkentye	*CarnkVntyV
single women's camp	*arlwekere ?	*CurlVkVrV/*wa-
father's father	*arrenge	*CarrVngV
father-in-law	*ahenterre	*CaakVntVrrV
mother's father	*atye, itye	*CEtyV
cousin (female)	*altyele	*CaltyVlV
cousin (male)	*a(t)nkele	*CankOlV
sister-in-law (of f?)	*arntenge	*NarntOngV
axe	*ilepe	*CilOpV
digging stick	*atneme	*kana+m(p)V
spindle	*ante *unte	*CuntO
rabbit bandicoot tail-tip	*alpiyte?	*CalpV+CV(r)ti
ant bed	*ungkepeye	*mungka+pVyV
burrow	*ulhenge	*ngulha+ngV
cave	*inteye	*CintVyV
cliff	*arnke	*CarnkV
coals	*(a)perrke	*CapVrrkV
delicacy, honey	*ungkarle	*NungkaarlV
flame	*inthe	*CinthV
gap	*utatye	*CutaatyV/*wa-
ground	*ahe-	*CaakV-
rainbow	*umperlarre	*CumpVrlV-
road	*iyteye	*Ci(r)tiyV
rock hole	*arnerre	*NarnOrrV
sun	*aherrke	*CaakVrrkV
east	*Vkngerre	*kangarra !
west	*alte-	*CaltO-
far	*arlenge	*CarlOngV
down, under, inside	*ukene	*CukVnV/*wa-
blind	*upenge	*CupVngV /*wa-
dangerous	*ahe+	*CaakV-
dried out, desiccated	*aynterrke	*Ca(r)ntirrkV
empty	*urlte	*CurltV
frightened	*atere	*CatOrV
knowing	*akaltye	*kaka+CaltyV
point	*arriylpe	*Rirra+Ci(r)lpi
raw	*arletye	*CarlOtyV
sick, be in pain	*arnte-	*CarntO-
sleep	*u(t)nke	*CunkO /*wa-
smooth	*alyelke	*CalyVlkV

Verbs

gloss	Proto-Arandic	Pre-Arandic
bite	*utnhe-	*TunhV-
chase	*ule(rne)-	*CulO-
copulate with	*Vnte(rne)-	*CVntV-
cut off	*urnte(rne)-	*CurntO-
get stuck in	*ume(rne)-	*NumO-
go about (in search of)	*u(t)nthe-	*CunthV-
insert	*uke(rne)-	*CukV-/*wakV-
make, fix	*umpare -	*CumpV+CarV-
manipulate in coolamon?	*aynpe- / *arnpe-	*Ca(r)npi-
pluck, clear of feathers	*althe-	*CalthV-
put (down)	*arre(rne)-	*CVrrV-
put foot down, move off	*arnpe-	*CarnpO-
put high	*utye(rne)-	*CYutyV-?
return	*alpe-	*CalpO-?
see	*are-	*miira-?
shine (on)	*arrtye-	*CVrrtyV-
sing	*ayle-	*Ca(r)li-
swallow	*uke(rne)-	*CukV-/*wakV-
tie	*irrtye-	*CVrrtyV-

Plants

Scientific name	Common name	Proto-Arandic	Pre-Arandic
Eucalyptus opaca	desert bloodwood	*arrke	*CarrkV
Eucalyptus coolabah		*ankerre	*CankOrrV
green grass		*atherrke	*CathVrrkV
Acacia aneura	mulga	*artetye	*CartOtyV
Ventilago viminalis	supplejack	*atnyere	*TanyVrV
Ficus platypoda	wild fig	*wityerrke/*yu-	*wityVrrkV /*CYu-
Canthium latifolium	native currant	*ahakeye	*CaakaakVyV
Acacia kempeana	witchetty bush	*atnyeme	*TanyVmV
Acacia ligulata	umbrella bush	*arterrke	*CartOrrkV
Acacia tetragonophylla	dead finish	*arlketyerre	*CarlkOtyVrrV
Acacia victoriae	acacia bush	*urlepe?, *arlepe	*COrlOpV
Atalaya hemiglauca	whitewood	*arlperre	*CarlpOrrV
Boerhavia spp.	tar vine	*ayepe	*CayVpV
Grevillea striata	beefwood	*iyltentye	*Ci(r)ltintyV
Hakea chordophylla	northern corkwood	*untyeye	*CuntyVyV /*wa-

Animals

gloss	Proto-Arandic	Pre-Arandic
dingo	*urtnere	*TurnOrV
Jew lizard	*ankerte	*CankOrtV
kangaroo	*aherre	*CaakVrrV
crested pigeon	*apelkere /-ure?	*CapVlkVrV
honey ant	*yerr+ampe?	*CVyVrrV+
termites, white ants	*interrke	*CintOrrkV

References

1. Kearney 2007.
2. Lower Arrernte.
3. To save a dying language 2018.
4. Pertame Project.
5. Breen, Gavan (2001). "Chapter 4: The wonders of Arandic phonology". In Simpson, Jane; Nash, David; Laughren, Mary; Austin, Peter; Alpher, Barry (eds.). Forty years on: Ken Hale and Australian languages (pdf). Pacific Linguistics 512. ANU. Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies. (Pacific Linguistics). pp. 45–69. ISBN 085883524X.
6. "Kaytetye". Ethnologue. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
7. Note:"Aranda" is a simplified, Australian English approximation of the traditional pronunciation of the name of Arrernte [ˈarəɳ͡ɖa].(Turpin, Myfany (August 2004). "Have you ever wondered why Arrernte is spelt the way it is?". Central Land Council. Retrieved 15 June 2019.)
8. "Arandic". Glottolog. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
9. "Arandic". Ethnologue. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
10. Koch, Harold (2004). "The Arandic subgroup of Australian languages". In Claire Bowern & Harold Koch, eds., Australian Languages: Classification and the Comparative Method. John Benjamins Publishing Company. doi:10.1075/cilt.249.10koc

Sources

• Kearney, Simon (20 September 2007). . The Australian. Archived from the original on 14 October 2011.
• "Lower Arrernte". Mobile Language Team. from the original on 30 September 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
• "To save a dying language". Alice Springs News Online. 23 May 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
• . Call for Australian languages and linguistics. Archived from the original on 1 April 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2019.

Bibliography

 

Wiktionary has a list of reconstructed forms at Appendix:Proto-Arandic reconstructions

• Dixon, R. M. W. (2002). Australian Languages: Their Nature and Development. Cambridge University Press.