Luritja dialect
The Luritja dialect is the language of the Luritja people, an Aboriginal Australian group indigenous to parts of the Northern Territory and Western Australia. It is one of several dialects in the Western Desert language group.
Origin and meaning of ''Luritja''
The name luritja is thought to derive from the Arrernte language|Arrernte] word lurinya, 'foreigner'. It appears to have originally been applied by Arrernte speakers to people of the Western Desert Language group who had relocated onto Arrernte lands in the process of moving from remote desert areas to the region closer to Alice Springs. Over time younger generations have taken on the term as their ethnonym, possibly unaware of its origin.Population
The total population of Luritja people is probably in the thousands, making them the third largest of the Central Australian Aboriginal populations, behind Arrernte and Pitjantjatjara.Area
The Luritja lands include areas to the west and south of Alice Springs, extending around the edge of Arrernte country. The area surrounding Papunya, including Mount Liebig is often referred to as Papunya Luritja, both in land and language, while areas to the south-east around Aputula and Maryvale are often referred to as Titjikala Luritja. The area around Ulpanyali and Watarrka National Park (Kings Canyon) is also referred to as Luritja country and the dialect of Luritja spoken there is referred to as Southern Luritja. The variety of Luritja spoken at Kintore is often referred to as Pintupi/Luritja.Phonology
Consonants
- /ɾ/ can range to a trill in emphatic speech among speakers.
- /ɻ/ can also be heard as a retroflex tap, or an alveolar glide among speakers.