Wamin language


Wamin, also known as Agwamin or Ewamian, is an Australian Aboriginal language of North Queensland spoken by the Ewamian people. Wamin was traditionally spoken in the Etheridge region, in the areas around Einasliegh, Georgetown, and Mount Surprise.

Alternative names and dialects

The language of Ewamian people, now undergoing revival, is variously known as Wamin or Agwamin. Elder Fred Fulford, as documented by Peter Sutton in the early 1970s, explained that Agwamin and Wamin were originally two mutually intelligible dialects, one 'heavy' and one 'light'. There was said to be one living speaker of the language alive in 1981. Dixon counts Wamin as an alternative name for Agwamin.
The language of the Wakaman people, Wagaman, is thought by some linguists to be a variant of the mutually intelligible Agwamin and Wamin languages.
The following is a list of alternative names for Wamin:WaminAgwaminE'waminEwaminWimanjaEgwaminGwaminAk WauminWaminWommin, Waumin, WawminWalaminWomminWalming
  • ''Wailoolo''

Phonology

Vowels

/ɵ/ may also be heard as a sound.

Vocabulary

Some words in Wamin language are: