Mparntwe Arrernte
Eastern Arrernte
Pama-Nyungan
Eastern Arrernte (autonymously Mparntwe Arrernte, after the Aboriginal name for Alice Springs) is a Pama-Nyungan language of the Arandic sub-branch, spoken by around 4,000 people in the Alice Springs region of central Australia. The Mparntwe Arrernte people are the traditional owners of Alice Springs, having occupied the MacDonnell Ranges and surrounding country for at least 30,000 years. Linguistically, Eastern Arrernte is famous in linguistic typology for its highly unusual phonology: it has only 14 phonemic consonants but a very complex syllable structure, plus the typologically rare features of pre-stopped nasals and labio-velar consonants. Despite a long history of European contact since 1860s, the Arrernte have maintained strong intergenerational transmission and the language is one of the more vibrant indigenous languages of central Australia.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Eastern Arrernte
Water
kwatye
/kʷatʲə/
Fire
ure
/uɾe/
Sun
arrenge
/arəŋə/
Moon
arngwe
/aɾŋʷe/
Star
kwerralye
/kʷəˈraʎə/
Mother
meye
/mɛjə/
Father
akngeye
/akŋɛjə/
I
ayenge
/ˈajəŋə/
You
unte
/ˈuntə/
Name
arritnye
/aˈɾɪtɲə/
Eye
alknge
/alkŋe/
Hand
iltye
/iltʲe/
Heart
atyenge
/atʲɛŋe/
Love
mwerre
/mʷərə/
Tree
arne
/aɾne/
House
ahentye
/ahɛntʲe/
Dog
atyitye
/atʲitʲe/
Cat
kele
/kələ/
Eat
arlkenge
/aɾlkɛŋe/
Drink
altyere
/altʲɛɾe/
One
anyente
/aɲɛnte/
Two
atherre
/aˈt̪ərə/
Hello
werte
/wɛɾte/
Thank you
unte mwerre
/untə mʷərə/
Good
mwerre
/mʷərə/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Pama-Nyungan languages
| Meaning | Eastern Arrernte | Neapolitan | Catalan | German (Austrian) | Frisian | German (Luxembourgish) | German |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | kwatye /kʷatʲə/ | acqua /akkwə/ | aigua /ajɣwə/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ | wetter /vɛtər/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ |
| Fire | ure /uɾe/ | fuoco /fwɔkə/ | foc /fɔk/ | Feuer /fɔɪɐ/ | fjoer /fjuːr/ | Feuer /fɔɪ̯ɐ/ | Feuer /fɔɪ̯ɐ/ |
| Sun | arrenge /arəŋə/ | sole /solə/ | sol /sɔl/ | Sonne /sɔnə/ | sinne /sɪnə/ | Sonne /zɔnə/ | Sonne /zɔnə/ |
| Moon | arngwe /aɾŋʷe/ | luna /lunə/ | lluna /ʎunə/ | Mond /moːnt/ | moanne /mwɑnə/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Mond /moːnt/ |
| Star | kwerralye /kʷəˈraʎə/ | stella /ˈstellə/ | estrella /əsˈtɾeʎə/ | Stern /ʃtɛʁn/ | stjer /stjɛr/ | Stern /ʃtɛʁn/ | Stern /ʃtɛʁn/ |
| Mother | meye /mɛjə/ | mamma /mammə/ | mare /maɾə/ | Mutter /mʊtɐ/ | mem /mɛm/ | Mutter /mʊtɐ/ | Mutter /mʊtɐ/ |
| Father | akngeye /akŋɛjə/ | pate /patə/ | pare /paɾə/ | Vater /fɑːtɐ/ | heit /hɛit/ | Vater /faːtɐ/ | Vater /faːtɐ/ |
| I | ayenge /ˈajəŋə/ | io /ˈiːə/ | jo /ˈʒɔ/ | ich /ɪç/ | ik /ɪk/ | ich /ɪç/ | ich /ɪç/ |
| You | unte /ˈuntə/ | tu /tu/ | tu /ˈtu/ | du /duː/ | do /do/ | du /duː/ | du /duː/ |
| Name | arritnye /aˈɾɪtɲə/ | nomme /ˈnommə/ | nom /ˈnɔm/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | namme /ˈnamə/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ |
| Eye | alknge /alkŋe/ | uocchio /wɔkkjə/ | ull /uʎ/ | Auge /aːɡə/ | each /ɪəx/ | Auge /aʊ̯ɡə/ | Auge /aʊ̯ɡə/ |
| Hand | iltye /iltʲe/ | mano /manə/ | mà /ma/ | Hand /hɑnt/ | hân /hɔːn/ | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hant/ |
| Heart | atyenge /atʲɛŋe/ | core /korə/ | cor /kɔɾ/ | Herz /hɛɐts/ | hert /hɛrt/ | Herz /hɛʁts/ | Herz /hɛʁts/ |
| Love | mwerre /mʷərə/ | ammore /ammorə/ | amor /əmoɾ/ | Liebe /liːbə/ | leafde /lɪəfdə/ | Liebe /liːbə/ | Liebe /liːbə/ |
| Tree | arne /aɾne/ | àrvero /arvərə/ | arbre /aɾbɾə/ | Baum /baːm/ | beam /bɪəm/ | Baum /baʊ̯m/ | Baum /baʊ̯m/ |
| House | ahentye /ahɛntʲe/ | casa /kasə/ | casa /kazə/ | Haus /haʊs/ | hûs /huːs/ | Haus /haʊ̯s/ | Haus /haʊ̯s/ |
| Dog | atyitye /atʲitʲe/ | cane /kanə/ | gos /ɡos/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | hûn /huːn/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ |
| Cat | kele /kələ/ | jatto /jattə/ | gat /ɡat/ | Katze /kɑtsə/ | kat /kɑt/ | Katze /katsə/ | Katze /katsə/ |
| Eat | arlkenge /aɾlkɛŋe/ | mangià /mandʒa/ | menjar /mənʒa/ | essen /ɛsn̩/ | ite /iːtə/ | essen /ɛsn̩/ | essen /ɛsn̩/ |
| Drink | altyere /altʲɛɾe/ | vevere /vevərə/ | beure /bewɾə/ | trinken /tʁɪŋkŋ/ | drinke /drɪŋkə/ | trinken /tʁɪŋkn̩/ | trinken /tʁɪŋkn̩/ |
| One | anyente /aɲɛnte/ | uno /unə/ | un /un/ | oans /ɑːns/ | ien /iːn/ | eins /aɪ̯ns/ | eins /aɪ̯ns/ |
| Two | atherre /aˈt̪ərə/ | duje /ˈduːjə/ | dos /ˈdos/ | zwei /tsvai/ | twa /twa/ | zwei /tsvaɪ/ | zwei /tsvaɪ/ |
| Hello | werte /wɛɾte/ | uè /wɛ/ | hola /ɔlə/ | Servus /zɛɐvʊs/ | hoi /hɔi/ | Hallo /haloː/ | Hallo /haloː/ |
| Thank you | unte mwerre /untə mʷərə/ | grazie /ɡratsjə/ | gràcies /ɡɾasiəs/ | Danke /daŋkə/ | tankewol /tɑŋkəvɔl/ | danke /daŋkə/ | danke /daŋkə/ |
| Good | mwerre /mʷərə/ | buono /bwɔnə/ | bo /bɔ/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | goed /ɡuət/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | gut /ɡuːt/ |
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