Manyjilyjarra dialect


Manyjilyjarra is an Australian Aboriginal language, generally considered a dialect of the Western Desert language.
It is often classified as a distinct language among the Wati languages of the large Pama–Nyungan family of Australia.
It is one of the components of the Martu Wangka koine.

Sign language

Most of the peoples of central Australia have signed forms of their languages. Among the Western Desert peoples, sign language has been reported specifically for Manjiljarra, though it is not clear from records how well developed it was.

Phonology


OBJ:object
SIM:similar
TAG:question tag

Vowels

  • has allophones or in free variation. Mainly as in stressed syllables, and as in word-final position.
  • has the allophones or in free variation. When following or preceding velar consonants, it may be realized as.
  • is typically pronounced as or in free variation. When in unstressed syllables, it can be pronounced as. When following the glide or a labial or velar consonant, it can be realized as. When following palatal consonants, it can be realized as or. When preceding glides /, /, it may be heard with vowel off-glides as.
  • The phoneme sequence may be realized as a mid-close front long sound.

    Consonants

  • Stops /,,,, / have voiced allophones when following nasal sounds, or may be heard as voiced in free variation when following approximant sounds. Voiced stop allophones may alternate with voiced fricative allophones in intervocalic positions.
  • Palatal sounds /, / may alternate with laminal-alveolar sounds when before /, / in word-initial position.
  • When preceding a word-final, most consonant sounds occur as rounded.
  • is typically heard as a trill , and is mostly heard as a flap in word-medial or intervocalic positions. In word-final positions, it is commonly heard as a voiceless trill.