The Lamalama language, also known by the
clan name Mbarrumbathama (
Austlang
The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), established as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) in 1964, is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is a collecting, ...
) or Mba Rumbathama, formerly known as Lamu-Lamu or Lama-Lama, is a
Paman language
The Paman languages are an Australian language family spoken on Cape York Peninsula, Queensland. First noted by Kenneth Hale, Paman is noteworthy for the profound phonological changes which have affected some of its descendants.
Classifica ...
of
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
,
Australia. Lamalama is one of four languages once spoken by the
Lamalama people, the others being
Morrobolam (Umbuygamu),
Mbariman-Gudinhma, and
Umpithamu.
Naming and language relationships
In January 2019, the ISO database changed its reference name to Lamalama, from Lamu-Lamu.
,
Glottolog
''Glottolog'' is a bibliographic database of the world's lesser-known languages, developed and maintained first at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany (between 2015 and 2020 at the Max Planck Institute fo ...
calls it Lamalama,
while
AIATSIS' Austlang database thesaurus heading is Mbarrumbathama language.
Austlang says, quoting linguist Jean-Cristophe Verstraete (2018), that Lamalama,
Rimanggudinhma (Mbariman-Gudhinma) and
Morrobolam form a
genetic
Genetic may refer to:
*Genetics, in biology, the science of genes, heredity, and the variation of organisms
**Genetic, used as an adjective, refers to genes
***Genetic disorder, any disorder caused by a genetic mutation, whether inherited or de nov ...
subgroup of Paman known as Lamalamic, "defined by shared innovations in phonology and morphology". Within this subgroup, "Morrobolam and Lamalama form a phonologically innovative branch, while Rumanggudinhma forms a more conservative branch".
Further reading
*Verstraete, J. (2018). The Genetic Status of Lamalamic: Phonological and Morphological Evidence. Oceanic Linguistics 57(1), 1-30. University of Hawai'i Press.
References
{{Pama–Nyungan languages, Paman
Paman languages
Extinct languages of Queensland