Arrernte language

Arrernte
Arrernte
Region	Northern Territory, Australia
Native speakers	1,500[1]
Language family	Pama-Nyungan Arandic Arrernte; ;
Writing system	Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-2	aus
ISO 639-3	Variously:; amx – Anmatjirra; aly – Alyawarr; adg – Antekerrepenhe; aer – Eastern Arrernte; are – Western Arrernte
ELP	Eastern and Central Arrernte; Western Arrarnte; Alyawarr; Anmatyerre; Antekerrepenh; Ayerreyenge;
	File:Some aboriginal communities in the northern territory australia.jpgLocation of Arrernte (light blue) in the Northern Territory, not including Anmatjirra and Alyawarr.

Arrernte (or Aranda) is a language or group of closely related languages spoken in and around Alice Springs (Mparntwe in Arrernte) in the Northern Territory, Australia. This group includes the following:

Anmatjirra
Alyawarr
Ayerrerenge
Antekerrepenhe
Eastern Arrernte or Ikngerripenhe
Central Arrernte or Mparntwe Arrernte
Western Arrernte, Tyuretye Arrernte or Arrernte Alturlerenj
Southern Arrernte or Pertame
Lower Arrernte or Alenjerntarpe

Opinions vary as to their status as dialects or distinct languages.

Phonology

Consonants

	Peripheral			Laminal		Apical
	Bilabial	Velar	Uvular	Palatal	Dental	Alveolar	Retroflex
Stop	p pʷ	k kʷ		c cʷ	t̪ t̪ʷ	t tʷ	ʈ ʈʷ
Nasal	m mʷ	ŋ ŋʷ		ɲ ɲʷ	n̪ n̪ʷ	n nʷ	ɳ ɳʷ
Prestopped nasal	^pm ^pmʷ	^kŋ ^kŋʷ		^cɲ ^cɲʷ	^t̪n̪ ^t̪n̪ʷ	^tn ^tnʷ	^ʈɳ ^ʈɳʷ
Lateral				ʎ ʎʷ	l̪ l̪ʷ	l lʷ	ɭ ɭʷ
Approximant	w	ɰ~ʁ		j jʷ			ɻ ɻʷ
Tap/Trill						r rʷ

/ɰ~ʁ/ is described as velar ([ɰ]) by Breen (2005), and as uvular ([ʁ̞]) by Henderson (2003).

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
High	(i)		(u)
Mid		ə
Low		a

All dialects have at least /ə a/.

Phonotactics

The syllable structure of Arrernte is argued to be VC(C) syllable structure, with obligatory codas and no onsets.

Arrernte in schools

In most primary schools in Alice Springs, students (of all races and nationalities) are taught Arrernte (or in some cases Western Arrernte) as a compulsory language, often alongside French or Indonesian languages. Additionally, most Alice Springs High Schools give the option to study Arrernte language throughout High School as a separate subject, and it can also be learned at Centralian College as part of a TAFE course. Future plans are that it will be included as a university subject.

Arrernte in workplaces

Many Alice Springs workplaces require that employees to learn at least basic Arrernte in order to communicate effectively with the large numbers of Arrernte people (approximately 25% of Alice Springs residents speak Arrernte as their first language). Many workplaces offer learning of Arrernte as an option and will fund the course.

References

Breen, Gavan (2001). "The wonders of Arandic phonology". In Simpson, Jane, Nash, David, Laughren, Mary, Austin, Peter & Alpher, Barry (ed.). Forty Years On: Ken Hale and Australian Languages. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. pp. 45–69.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)
Breen, Gavan (2005). "Illustrations of the IPA: Central Arrernte". Journal of the International Phonetic Association. 35 (2): 249–254. doi:10.1017/S0025100305002185.
Breen, Gavan (1999). "Arrernte: A Language with No Syllable Onsets". Linguistic Inquiry. 30 (1). {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
Dixon, R. M. W. (2002). Australian Languages: Their Nature and Development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Henderson, John (1988). Topics in Eastern and Central Arrernte grammar. PhD dissertation. University of Western Australia.
Henderson, John (1994). Eastern and Central Arrernte to English Dictionary. Alice Springs: IAD Press. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
Henderson, John (2003). "The word in Eastern/Central Arrernte". In R. M. W. Dixon and Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald (ed.). Word: A Cross-Linguistic Typology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 100–124.
Mathews, R. H. (1907). "The Arran'da Language, Central Australia". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. 46 (187): 322–339. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
Strehlow, T. G. H. (1944). Aranda phonetics and grammar. Sydney: Oceania Monographs.
Wilkins, David P. (1988). "Switch-reference in Mparntwe Arrernte (Aranda): form, function, and problems of identity". In Austin, P. K. (ed.). Complex sentence constructions in Australian languages. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. pp. 141–176.
Wilkins, David P. (1989). Mparntwe Arrernte (Aranda): studies in the structure and semantics of grammar. PhD dissertation, Australian National University.
Wilkins, David P. (1991). "The semantics, pragmatics and diachronic development of "associated motion" in Mparntwe Arrente". Buffalo Working Papers in Linguistics. 91: 207–257.
Yallop, C. (1977). Alyawarra, an Aboriginal language of central Australia. Canberra: Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies.

External links