Jirrbal
Dyirbal
Pama-Nyungan (Dyirbalic)
Pama-Nyungan language of North Queensland made famous by Dixon's 1972 grammar and Lakoff's "Women, Fire and Dangerous Things" — its four noun classes (bayi masculine/animate, balan feminine/water/fire/dangerous, balam edible plants, bala residue) became a textbook example of non-Aristotelian categorisation. Dyirbal also has a fully separate "Jalŋuy" mother-in-law avoidance vocabulary with the same grammar but disjoint lexicon.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Dyirbal
Water
bana
/ˈbana/
Fire
buni
/ˈbuni/
Sun
garri
/ˈɡari/
Moon
gagara
/ɡaˈɡara/
Mother
gumbu
/ˈɡumbu/
Father
ngumi
/ˈŋumi/
Eat
janganyu
/ɟaŋˈaɲu/
Drink
jiwuli
/ɟiˈwuli/
Love
—
/—/
Heart
mugu
/ˈmuɡu/
Tree
yugu
/ˈjuɡu/
House
mija
/ˈmiɟa/
Dog
guda
/ˈɡuda/
Cat
—
/—/
Hand
mala
/ˈmala/
Eye
jili
/ˈɟili/
Hello
—
/—/
Thank you
—
/—/
One
yara
/ˈjara/
Good
—
/—/
Sources
- Dixon, R. M. W. (1972) The Dyirbal Language of North Queensland. Cambridge University Press.
- Dixon, R. M. W. (1989) "The Original Dyirbal Speaking Tribes of North-East Queensland", in Aboriginal History.
- Glottolog: Dyirbal
Words compared
Compared with related Pama-Nyungan (Dyirbalic) languages
| Meaning | Dyirbal | Walmajarri | Makasae | Kavalan | Babuza (Favorlang) | Bukar-Sadong Bidayuh | Etruscan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | bana /ˈbana/ | ngapa /ˈŋapa/ | ira /ˈira/ | zanum /zaˈnum/ | zalum /zalum/ | piin /piːn/ | — /—/ |
| Fire | buni /ˈbuni/ | warlu /ˈwaɭu/ | ata /ˈata/ | ramax /raˈmax/ | apoi /apoi/ | apui /aˈpui/ | — /—/ |
| Sun | garri /ˈɡari/ | ngalyarra /ŋaˈʎara/ | watu /ˈwatu/ | siban /siˈban/ | — /—/ | biduh /biˈduh/ | usil /ˈuzil/ |
| Moon | gagara /ɡaˈɡara/ | pira /ˈpira/ | uru /ˈuru/ | buran /buˈran/ | zilias /siliəs/ | bulan /buˈlan/ | tiur /ˈtiur/ |
| Mother | gumbu /ˈɡumbu/ | ngamaji /ŋaˈmaɟi/ | ina /ˈina/ | tina /ˈtina/ | tina /tina/ | sindo /sinˈdoʔ/ | ati /ˈati/ |
| Father | ngumi /ˈŋumi/ | kirta /ˈkiɭa/ | baba /ˈbaba/ | tama /ˈtama/ | tama /tama/ | samah /saˈmah/ | apa /ˈapa/ |
| Eat | janganyu /ɟaŋˈaɲu/ | nga- /ŋa/ | nawa /ˈnawa/ | quman /quˈman/ | maan /maːn/ | kuman /kuˈman/ | — /—/ |
| Drink | jiwuli /ɟiˈwuli/ | nga- /ŋa/ | gehe /ˈɡɛhɛ/ | mimum /miˈmum/ | minum /minum/ | ŋinum /ŋiˈnum/ | — /—/ |
| Love | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Heart | mugu /ˈmuɡu/ | kurturlu /kuɭˈtuɭu/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Tree | yugu /ˈjuɡu/ | watiya /waˈtija/ | ate /ˈate/ | kasuy /kaˈsuj/ | kayu /kaju/ | kayuh /kaˈjuh/ | — /—/ |
| House | mija /ˈmiɟa/ | ngurra /ˈŋura/ | oma /ˈoma/ | lepaw /ləˈpaw/ | ruma /ruma/ | ramin /raˈmin/ | śuthi /ˈsuθi/ |
| Dog | guda /ˈɡuda/ | kunyarr /kuˈɲar/ | defa /ˈdɛfa/ | wasu /waˈsu/ | asu /asu/ | kaso /kaˈsoʔ/ | — /—/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | ngiyaw /ŋiˈjaw/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Hand | mala /ˈmala/ | marnin /ˈmaɳin/ | tana /ˈtana/ | rima /riˈma/ | rima /rima/ | təŋən /tə̆ˈŋən/ | — /—/ |
| Eye | jili /ˈɟili/ | purlka /ˈpuɭka/ | nana /ˈnana/ | mata /maˈta/ | macha /matʃa/ | baten /baˈten/ | — /—/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| One | yara /ˈjara/ | kanyjarra /kaɲˈɟara/ | u /ʔu/ | issa /ˈissa/ | nata /nata/ | isaʔ /iˈsaʔ/ | thu /θu/ |
| Good | — /—/ | ngurnu /ˈŋuɳu/ | rau /rau/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | biis /biːs/ | — /—/ |
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