Leerdil
Lardil
Tangkic (Tangkic-Pama)
Lardil (Leerdil) is the language of Mornington Island in the Wellesley Islands of the Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland. It belongs to the small non-Pama-Nyungan Tangkic family (with Yangkaal, Kayardild, Yukulta and Ganggalida). Lardil is best known to linguistics as the host language of Damin — the ceremonial auxiliary register taught to senior initiated men, which contains the only documented click consonants in any Australian language. Damin was created and maintained as a separate phonological system layered over ordinary Lardil grammar. Long fluency has now collapsed; perhaps one or two fluent speakers remain, though a substantial community heritage tradition continues. Ken Hale's 1960s-80s field work and the community-led Ngakulmungan Kangka Leman (1996) Lardil Dictionary are the principal documentation.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Lardil
Water
kantha
/kanθa/
Fire
jalul
/dʒalul/
Sun
thurara
/θuɾaɾa/
Moon
kirdikir
/kiɖikir/
Star
kambin
/kambin/
Mother
ngama
/ŋama/
Father
—
/—/
I
ngada
/ŋada/
You
nyingki
/ɲiŋki/
Name
wangalk
/waŋalk/
Eye
mela
/mela/
Hand
marra
/maɾa/
Heart
—
/—/
Love
—
/—/
Tree
tungal
/tuŋal/
House
—
/—/
Dog
ngawu
/ŋawu/
Cat
—
/—/
Eat
jitha
/dʒiθa/
Drink
—
/—/
One
kunngirr
/kuŋŋir/
Two
kiyarrng
/kijaraŋ/
Hello
—
/—/
Thank you
—
/—/
Good
—
/—/
Sources
- Ngakulmungan Kangka Leman (1996) Lardil Dictionary
- Hale (1973) "Deep-surface canonical disparities in relation to analysis and change: an Australian example" — and later work on Damin
- Klokeid (1976) Topics in Lardil Grammar (MIT PhD thesis)
- Glottolog: Lardil (lard1248)
- Ethnologue: lbz
Words compared
Compared with related Tangkic (Tangkic-Pama) languages
| Meaning | Lardil | Yangkaal | Neko | Proto-Sino-Tibetan | Pyu | Proto-Kra-Dai | Proto-Austroasiatic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | kantha /kanθa/ | ngogo /ŋoɡo/ | wai /wai/ | — /—/ | ʔuy /uj/ | *naːm /naːm/ | *ɗaːk /ɗaːk/ |
| Fire | jalul /dʒalul/ | ngida /ŋida/ | titɛ /titɛ/ | *mey /mey/ | vyaŋ /wjaŋ/ | *vɤj /vɤj/ | *ʔuːs /ʔuːs/ |
| Sun | thurara /θuɾaɾa/ | wargu /waɾɡu/ | aatʌ /aːtʌ/ | *nəy /nəy/ | ño /ɲo/ | — /—/ | *tŋiːʔ /tŋiːʔ/ |
| Moon | kirdikir /kiɖikir/ | waldar /waldaɾ/ | — /—/ | *s-la /s-la/ | hla /hla/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Star | kambin /kambin/ | thurara /t̪uɾaɾa/ | kumba /kumba/ | *s-kar /s-kar/ | kar /karʔ/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Mother | ngama /ŋama/ | ngama /ŋama/ | — /—/ | *ma /ma/ | na /na/ | — /—/ | *maʔ /maʔ/ |
| Father | — /—/ | kanda /kanda/ | — /—/ | *pa /pa/ | paʔ /paʔ/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| I | ngada /ŋada/ | ngada /ŋada/ | na /na/ | *ŋa /ŋa/ | ŋa /ŋa/ | *kuː /kuː/ | *ʔaɲ /ʔaɲ/ |
| You | nyingki /ɲiŋki/ | nyingka /ɲiŋka/ | ga /ɡa/ | *naŋ /naŋ/ | naŋ /naŋ/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Name | wangalk /waŋalk/ | warra /wara/ | iwi /iwi/ | *r-miŋ /r-miŋ/ | miŋ /miŋ/ | *ɟɯː /ɟɯː/ | — /—/ |
| Eye | mela /mela/ | miibul /miːbul/ | ta /ta/ | *s-mik /s-mik/ | mik /mik/ | *taː /taː/ | *mat /mat/ |
| Hand | marra /maɾa/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | *lak /lak/ | lak /lak/ | *mɯː /mɯː/ | *tiːʔ /tiːʔ/ |
| Heart | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Love | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Tree | tungal /tuŋal/ | — /—/ | tei /tei/ | *siŋ /siŋ/ | siŋ /siŋ/ | *maːj /maːj/ | — /—/ |
| House | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | vaiŋ /waiŋ/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Dog | ngawu /ŋawu/ | — /—/ | gonʌ /ɡonʌ/ | *d-kʷəy /d-kʷəy/ | kwiy /kwij/ | *hmaː /hmaː/ | *cɔː /cɔː/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Eat | jitha /dʒiθa/ | — /—/ | nei /nei/ | *dzya /dzya/ | cyaʔ /tɕaʔ/ | — /—/ | *ɟaː /ɟaː/ |
| Drink | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| One | kunngirr /kuŋŋir/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | *tik /tik/ | te /te/ | *nɯŋ /nɯŋ/ | *muːj /muːj/ |
| Two | kiyarrng /kijaraŋ/ | kiyarrngka /kijaraŋka/ | iri /iri/ | *g-nis /g-nis/ | nit /nit/ | *soːŋ /soːŋ/ | *ɓaːr /ɓaːr/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Good | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
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