Wemba Wemba language

Wemba Wemba is an extinct Aboriginal Australian language once spoken along the Murray River and its tributaries in North Western Victoria and South Central New South Wales.

Nari Nari, a dialect of Wemba Wemba, is part of a language revival project. Other dialects are Barababaraba and Wergaia.

Jardwadjali (with dialects Jagwadjali, Nundadjali, Mardidjali) may be Wemba-Wemba, or may be closer to the Madhi–Ladji–Wadi varieties.

Phonology

Consonants

Vowels

Voiced consonant sounds only occur within prenasalized stops. Prenasal consonants include: /mb/ /nd/ /ndy/ /ng/ and /rnd/. In phonetic form they are pronounced as [mb] [nd] [ɲɟ] [ŋɡ] and [ɳɖ].

Vocabulary

Below is a basic vocabulary list from Blake (1981).

Influence on English

At least four botanical terms in Australian English are thought to have been introduced into local speech from Wemba-Wemba:

• = nitre bush/dillon
• = lerp/honeydew or lerp manna
• = bulrush/cumbungi
• = mallee
• The word yabby, a type of crayfish, comes from Wemba-Wemba.

References

External links

• Wemba Wemba language