Editing Wilson River language

{{short description|Indigenous language of Australia}}
{{about|the language most recently spoken by the Galali/Wankumara|'old' language|Bulloo River language}}
{{distinguish|Wanggamala language}}
{{Use Australian English|date=October 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Wilson River
| altname          = 
| nativename       = {{lang|mul|Palpakunu}}
| states           = [[Australia]]
| region           = [[Wilson River (Queensland)]]
| ethnicity        = [[Wongkumara]], [[Ngandangara]], [[Punthamara]], [[Kungadutji]], ?[[Thereila]]
| extinct          = probably by 2005
| ref              = aiatsis
| familycolor      = Australian
| fam1             = [[Pama–Nyungan languages|Pama–Nyungan]]
| fam2             = [[Karnic languages|Karnic]]
| fam3             = East Karnic ([[Ngura language|Ngura]])
| dia1             = Punthamara (Bundhamara)<ref>RMW Dixon (2002), ''Australian Languages: Their Nature and Development'', p xxxvii</ref>
| dia2             = Ngandangara (Yarumarra, Eromarra)
| dia3             = 'Modern' Wangkumara
| dia4             = Wangkumara (Galali)
| dia5             = Gungadidji
| dia6             = ?Mambangura/Thereila
| lc1              = xpt
| ld1              = Punthamara
| lc2              = ntg
| ld2              = Ngantangarra
| lc3              = gdt
| ld3              = Kungardutyi
| lc4              = xwk
| ld4              = Wangkumara
| lc5              = eaa
| ld5              = Karenggapa
| glotto           = ngur1261
| glottorefname    = Wilson River (Grey Range)
| aiatsis          = L30
| aiatsisname      = Ngandangara
| aiatsis2         = L26
| aiatsisname2     = Punthamara
| aiatsis3         = L56
| aiatsisname3     = Yarrumada
| aiatsis4         = L68
| aiatsisname4     = 'Modern' Wangkumara
| aiatsis5         = D71
| aiatsisname5     = Galali (McDonald & Wurm's Waŋkumara (Gaḷali))
| aiatsis6         = L16
| aiatsisname6     = Gungadidji, L15 Karenggapa, L25 Wangkumara
| map              = Lang Status 20-CR.svg
| mapcaption       = {{center|{{small|Wangkumara is classified as Critically Endangered by the [[UNESCO]] ''[[Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger]]''}}}}
}}

The '''Wilson River language''', also known as '''"Modern" Wankumara''' (Wangkumara/ Wanggumara), is an [[Australian Aboriginal language]] of the [[Karnic]] family. It was spoken by several peoples along the [[Wilson River (Queensland)|Wilson River]] in Queensland. Of these, the [[Wanggumara]] (Wangkumara) and [[Galali people|Galali]] may have migrated from the [[Bulloo River]] and abandoned [[Kalali language|their language]] when they arrived.

==Speakers==

In 1981, the language was still spoken by four members of the [[Wanggumara|Wangkumara]] community around [[Cooper Creek]], the [[Thomson River (Queensland)|Thomson River]], and the [[Warry Warry Creek]], the town of [[Eromanga, Queensland|Eromanga]] and the [[Noccundra, Queensland|Nuccundra]].<ref>{{cite Australian Dictionary of Biography | year=1996 |id=A140009b| title= Dixon, Lorna Rose (1917? - 1976) | access-date=2007-07-23 | author=Ritchie, John; Cunneen, Christopher }}</ref> It appears to have gone extinct by 2005.<ref name=AIATSIS/>

==Varieties==
Dixon (2002) considers Punthamara to be a dialect of Wangkumara, Bowern (2001) as very close. Bowern says that Ngandangara also appears to have been "very close", although data is too poor for a proper classification.<ref name=Bowern>{{cite book|author=Bowern, Claire|year=2001|url=https://yale.academia.edu/ClaireBowern/Papers/1002425/Karnic_classification_revisited|chapter=Karnic classification revisited|editor=J Simpson|title=Forty years on|pages=245–260|publisher=Canberra Pacific Linguistics|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120805212925/http://yale.academia.edu/ClaireBowern/Papers/1002425/Karnic_classification_revisited|archive-date=2012-08-05|url-status=live|display-editors=etal}}</ref> Karenggapa is either a dialect or an alternative name.<ref name="aiatsis2014">{{AIATSIS|L15|Karenggapa}}</ref> (McDonald & Wurm 1979) note that Wilson River Galali, what they call "Waŋkumara (Gaḷali)", is very close to modern Waŋkumara and Bundamara.

Breen (1967) states that the (Karnic) speech of the groups along the Wilson River are essentially identical. These include Bundhamara, Gungadudji, 'Modern' Wanggumara and Ngandangura. For instance, that Gungadidji is 'almost identical to Punthamara and modern Wangkumara'. Nonetheless, these language varieties have been assigned individual ISO codes.

[[Mambangura language|Mambangura]] (the language of the [[Thereila]]) may have belonged as well. At least, the [[Yandruwandha language|Yandruwandha]] term ''Palpakunu'' covered it as well as the other Wilson River dialects.

A language labelled "Wonkomarra" in Myles (1886) is a different language from modern Wangkumara, and may be a variety of [[Kalali language|Kalali]].

==Features==
Wangkumara is notable for being a language with a [[tripartite language|tripartite]] verbal alignment.{{citation needed|date=July 2012}} Wurm's ''Wankamara (Galali)'' is entirely suffixing and morphologically fairly simple having the following word classes: nominal (noun and pronoun), verb, particle, and interjection. The word order is random and free. The phonemes consist of three vowels and 26 consonants.

== Phonology ==

=== Consonants ===
{| class=" wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! rowspan="2" |
! colspan="2" |[[Peripheral consonant|Peripheral]]
! colspan="2" |[[Laminal consonant|Laminal]]
! colspan="2" |[[Apical consonant|Apical]]
|-
![[Labial consonant|Labial]]
![[Velar consonant|Velar]]
![[Dental consonant|Dental]]
![[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
![[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
![[Retroflex consonant|Retroflex]]
|-
![[Plosive consonant|Plosive]]
|{{IPA link|p}}/{{IPA link|b}}
|{{IPA link|k}}/{{IPA link|ɡ}}
|{{IPA link|t̪}}/{{IPA link|d̪}}
|{{IPA link|c}}/{{IPA link|ɟ}}
|{{IPA link|t}}/{{IPA link|d}}
|{{IPA link|ʈ}}/{{IPA link|ɖ}}
|-
![[Nasal stop|Nasal]]
|{{IPA link|m}}
|{{IPA link|ŋ}}
|{{IPA link|n̪}}
|{{IPA link|ɲ}}
|{{IPA link|n}}
|{{IPA link|ɳ}}
|-
![[Rhotic consonant|Rhotic]]
|
|
|
|
|{{IPA link|r}}
|{{IPA link|ɻ}}
|-
![[Lateral consonant|Lateral]]
|
|
|{{IPA link|l̪}}
|{{IPA link|ʎ}}
|{{IPA link|l}}
|{{IPA link|ɭ}}
|-
![[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
| colspan="2" |{{IPA link|w}}
|
|{{IPA link|j}}
|
|
|}

* /d̪/ can have an allophone of [ð] when after /l̪/.
* Sounds /b, ɟ, ɡ/ can be lenited as fricatives [β, ʒ, ɣ] when in intervocalic positions or after lateral sounds.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=McDonald |first=M. |title=Basic Materials in Waŋkumara (Gaḷali): Grammar, Sentences and Vocabulary |last2=Wurm |first2=S. A. |publisher=Canberra: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University |year=1979}}</ref>

=== Vowels ===
{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
!
![[Front vowel|Front]]
![[Central vowel|Central]]
![[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
![[High vowel|High]]
|{{IPA link|i}}
|
|{{IPA link|u}}
|-
![[Low vowel|Low]]
|
|{{IPA link|a}}
|
|}
The vowel sounds are a three-vowel system. Vowel length is not evenly distributed, but is mostly heard phonetically when preceding voiced consonants. Allophones may also occur.<ref name=":0" />
{| class="wikitable"
!Phoneme
!Allophone
|-
|{{IPAslink|i}}
|{{IPAblink|i}}, {{IPAblink|ɪ}}
|-
|{{IPAslink|a}}
|{{IPAblink|ä}}, {{IPAblink|a}}, {{IPAblink|ɐ}}
|-
|{{IPAslink|u}}
|{{IPAblink|u}}, {{IPAblink|ʊ}}
|}

==References==
{{reflist|1}}

==External links==
*[http://www.latrobe.edu.au/linguistics/LaTrobePapersinLinguistics/Vol%2002/04Austin.pdf Verb compounding in central Australian languages.]
*[http://aiatsis.gov.au/sites/default/files/docs/collections/language_bibs/bundhamara.pdf Bibliography of Bundhamara people and language resources], at the [[Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies]]

{{Pama–Nyungan languages|Central}}

[[Category:Karnic languages]]
[[Category:Extinct languages of Queensland]]
[[Category:Critically endangered languages]]