Arrernte language

Arrernte (or Aranda) is a language or group of closely related languages spoken in and around Alice Springs (Mparntwe in Arrernte) in the Northern Territory, Australia. This group includes the following:

• Anmatjirra
• Alyawarr
• Ayerrerenge
• Antekerrepenhe
• Eastern Arrernte or Ikngerripenhe
• Central Arrernte or Mparntwe Arrernte
• Western Arrernte, Tyuretye Arrernte or Arrernte Alturlerenj
• Southern Arrernte or Pertame
• Lower Arrernte or Alenjerntarpe

Opinions vary as to their status as dialects or distinct languages.

Phonology

Consonants

	Peripheral			Laminal		Apical
	Bilabial	Velar	Uvular	Palatal	Dental	Alveolar	Retroflex
Stop
Nasal
Prestopped nasal
Lateral
Approximant	w	ɰ~ʁ
Tap/Trill

/ɰ~ʁ/ is described as velar ([ɰ]) by Breen (2005), and as uvular ([ʁ̞]) by Henderson (2003).

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
High	(i)		(u)
Mid		ə
Low		a

All dialects have at least .

The vowel system of Arrernte is unusual in that there are only two contrastive vowel phonemes, /a/ and /ə/. Two-vowel systems are very rare worldwide, but are also found in some Northwest Caucasian languages. It seems that the vowel system derives from an earlier one with more phonemes, but after the development of labialized consonants in the vicinity of round vowels, the vowels lost their roundedness/backness distinction, merging into just two phonemes. There is no allophonic variation in different consonantal contexts for the vowels. Instead, the phonemes can be realized by various different articulations in free variation. For example, the phoneme /ə/ can be pronounced as in any context.

Phonotactics

The syllable structure of Arrernte is argued to be VC(C), with obligatory codas and no onsets. Plural morphemes are suppletive for monosyllabic and bisyllabic words in the structure of VC and VC(C)VC respectively. Stress falls on the first nucleus preceded by a consonant, and the frequentative is formed by reduplicating the final VC portion of the verb stem.

Arrernte in schools

In most primary schools in Alice Springs, students (of all races and nationalities) are taught Arrernte (or in some cases Western Arrernte) as a compulsory language, often alongside French or Indonesian languages. Additionally, most Alice Springs High Schools give the option to study Arrernte language throughout High School as a separate subject, and it can also be learned at Centralian College as part of a TAFE course. Future plans are that it will be included as a university subject.

Arrernte in workplaces

Many Alice Springs workplaces require that employees to learn at least basic Arrernte in order to communicate effectively with the large numbers of Arrernte people (approximately 25% of Alice Springs residents speak Arrernte as their first language). Many workplaces offer learning of Arrernte as an option and will fund the course.

Notes

References

• Breen, Gavan (2001). Forty Years On: Ken Hale and Australian Languages. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
• Breen, Gavan (2005). "Illustrations of the IPA: Central Arrernte". Journal of the International Phonetic Association 35 (2): 249–254.
• Breen, Gavan; Rob Pensalfini (1999). "Arrernte: A Language with No Syllable Onsets". Linguistic Inquiry 30 (1): 1.
• Dixon, R. M. W. (2002). Australian Languages: Their Nature and Development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Henderson, John (1988). Topics in Eastern and Central Arrernte grammar.
• Henderson, John; Veronica Dobson (1994). Eastern and Central Arrernte to English Dictionary. Alice Springs: IAD Press.
• Henderson, John (2003). Word: A Cross-Linguistic Typology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Ladefoged, Peter; Ian Maddieson (1996). The Sounds of the World's Languages. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Ltd.
• Mathews, R. H. (1907). "The Arran'da Language, Central Australia". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 46 (187): 322–339.
• Strehlow, T. G. H. (1944). Aranda phonetics and grammar. Sydney: Oceania Monographs.
• Wilkins, David P. (1988). Complex sentence constructions in Australian languages. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
• Wilkins, David P. (1989). Mparntwe Arrernte (Aranda): studies in the structure and semantics of grammar.
• Wilkins, David P. (1991). "The semantics, pragmatics and diachronic development of "associated motion" in Mparntwe Arrente". Buffalo Working Papers in Linguistics 91 207–257.
• Yallop, C. (1977). Alyawarra, an Aboriginal language of central Australia. Canberra: Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies.

External links

• Omniglot.com
• Dictionary
• Language
• Keeping The Aboriginal Language Strong
• Words