Kalpana Kalpana (Editor)

Ngarla language

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Native speakers
  
0 (2015)

Glottolog
  
ngar1286

ISO 639-3
  
nrk

AIATSIS
  
A79*

Native to
  
Port Hedland area of Western Australia

Language family
  
Pama–Nyungan Ngayarda Ngarla

Ngarla is a Pama–Nyungan language of Western Australia. It is possibly mutually intelligible with Panyjima and Martuthunira, but the three are considered distinct languages.

Contents

Ngarla is classified as a member of the Ngayarda branch of the Pama–Nyungan languages. Dench (1995) believed there was insufficient data to enable it to be confidently classified, but Bowern & Koch (2004) include it without proviso.

According to the Australian Indigenous Languages Database (AUSTLANG), 6 speakers are older than 60, 4 are between the ages of 49-59, 4 are between 20-39, and 4 are younger than 19 years, indicating a total of only about 18 speakers. The NILS gives Ngarla an endangerment grade of 1, on a scale of 0-5 with 5 being the least endangered and 0 being nearly extinct.

Vowels

The long vowels are rare.

Tense markers

Ngarla tense markers for verbs

References

Ngarla language Wikipedia