The Gunwinyguan languages (Gunwinjguan, Gunwingguan), also core Gunwinyguan or Gunwinyguan proper, are a possible branch of a large
language family
A language family is a group of languages related through descent from a common ancestor, called the proto-language of that family. The term ''family'' is a metaphor borrowed from biology, with the tree model used in historical linguistics ...
of
Australian Aboriginal languages
The Indigenous languages of Australia number in the hundreds, the precise number being quite uncertain, although there is a range of estimates from a minimum of around 250 (using the technical definition of 'language' as non-mutually intellig ...
in
Arnhem Land
Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territorial capital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compa ...
, northern Australia. The most populous language is
Kunwinjku
The Kunwinjku (formerly written Gunwinggu) people are an Australian Aboriginal people, one of several groups within the Bininj people, who live around West Arnhem Land to the east of Darwin, Northern Territory. Kunwinjku people generally refer ...
, with some 1500 speakers.
Gunwinyguan languages have a
fortis–lenis contrast in plosive consonants. Lenis/short plosives have weak contact and intermittent voicing, while fortis/long plosives have full closure, a more powerful release burst, and no voicing.
Languages
The list here is based on Green (2003). However, Green believes the similarities among these languages are due to shared retentions from
Proto-Arnhem, and are not indicative of an exclusive relationship between them.
[Rebecca Green, 2003. "Proto-Maningrida within Proto-Arnhem: evidence from verbal inflectional suffixes." In Nicholas Evans, ed. ''The Non-Pama-Nyungan languages of northern Australia''.]
*Gunwinggic:
Kunwinjku
The Kunwinjku (formerly written Gunwinggu) people are an Australian Aboriginal people, one of several groups within the Bininj people, who live around West Arnhem Land to the east of Darwin, Northern Territory. Kunwinjku people generally refer ...
(Gunwinggu),
Kunbarlang
*
Jawoyn
The Jawoyn, also written Djauan, are an Australian Aboriginal people living in the Northern Territory of Australia. The Bagala clan are of the Jawoyn people.
Language
Jawoyn, known as Kumertuo, is a non- Pama–Nyungan language that belongs ...
(Djauan)
*
Dalabon (Ngalkbun)
*Jala (Rembarngic):
Rembarrnga
The Rembarrnga people, also spelt Rembarunga and other variants, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as ...
,
Ngalakgan
The Ngalakgan are an indigenous Australian people of the Northern Territory.
Language
Ngalakgan is generally classified as a member of the Gunwinyguan family.
Country
Ngalakgan territory covered an estimated , north of the Roper River as far a ...
*Warrayic:
Waray,
Uwinymil
Yangmanic had once been included, but has been removed from recent classifications. Various other languages appear to be related to this Gunwinyguan core. This larger family is sometimes also called Gunwinyguan, but more unambiguously Macro-Gunwinyguan or
Arnhem
Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...
.
References
Language families
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