Print |
Warlmanpa
Data collected by AUSTLANG
Data on the language
Alternatives names: Walmala, Walmanba.
For additional names and alternative spellings, see the AUSTLANG website.
Classification: Pama-Nyungan language family, Ngumpin-Yapa group, Yapa subgroup.
Area:
Warlmanpa is an aboriginal language spoken in the Australian Northern Territory (NT). The location of Warlmanpa in the Language Atlas encompasses territory much too far to the Northeast. Warlmanpa country’s easternmost extent is on and near Muckaty Pastorall Lease, where Warlmanpa affiliations extend no further East than the eastern boundary of Muckaty (Nash in Suttoon 1995:105).
Eastern limit: The Ashburton Range south from Mt Grayling, the Whittington Range, the Short Range. Kartijirarrakanya Claypan appears to have been associated with Warlmanpa. Warrego Mine and Kunayungku OS were associated with Warumungu. The Eastern associations extended South to approximately the level of the Davenport Ranges.
Northern limit: In the east, Renner Springs was associated with Warlmanpa. Powell Creek and Lake Woods were associated with Jingulu. There is no precise information on the Western part of the northern associations of Warlmanpa. They are extrapolated as roughly level with the Eastern part of the Northern associations.
Western limit: There is no precise information on the Western limit of Warlmanpa. Green Swamp was associated with Warlmanpa. Winnecke Creek drainage was associated with Kartangarurru.
Southern limit: There is no precise information on the Southern limit of Warlmanpa. Warlmanpa was not associated with either the Hanson or Lander River drainages. As such, it appears that Warlmanpa associations extended south to approximately level with the Davenport Ranges (Harvey ASEDA 802).
Number of speakers :
The most recent Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006 Census estimated 48 speakers of Warlmanpa.
Language vitality & transmission :
On a scale of 0 to 5, the National Indigenous Language Survey (NILS) classifies Warlmanpa as a level 2 language, i.e. severely endangered.
Sources & bibliography
Nash, David. 1979. Preliminary vocabulary of the Warlmanpa language, ms. [with brief introduction to grammar].
Nash, David. 1997. Warlmanpa grammar, in Language Tutorial, Spring meeting of the Language Association of Great Britain (LGB), Edinburgh, 6-9 April.
Maps
Institute for Aboriginal Development Incorporated. 2002. Central Australian Aboriginal languages – current distribution (map). Alice Springs: IAD Press.
Harvey, Mark. 2008. Non-Pama-Nyungan Languages: land-language associations at colonisation (ASEDA 802).
Links
Papulu Apparr-Kari Language Centre website : http://www.aboriginalexperience.com.au/organisations/org_language_centre.html
AUSTLANG website: http://austlang.aiatsis.gov.au/main.php
Ethnologue webpage: http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=wrl
Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have more information on this language: contact@sorosoro.org