| Wemba-Wemba | |
|---|---|
| Region | Victoria |
| Ethnicity | Wemba-Wemba |
| Extinct | (date missing)[1] |
Pama–Nyungan
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | xww |
| Glottolog | wemb1241 |
| AIATSIS[2] | D1 |
| ELP | Wemba-Wemba |
 Location of Wemba Wemba Country in Victoria and New South Wales | |
Wemba Wemba is an extinct Aboriginal Australian language that was spoken by the Wemba-Wemba people along the Murray River and its tributaries in north-western Victoria and south-central New South Wales.
Classification
Wemba Wemba is a Kulin language, of the Pama-Nyungan family.[3]
Dialects
Barababaraba was a dialect of Wemba Wemba. Nari Nari may have also been a dialect.[4]
Etymology
The language's name follows the reduplicating pattern of many Aboriginal language names: wemba translates to "no".[3]
Phonology
Consonants
| Labial | Dental | Alveolar | Palatal | Retroflex | Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stop | p | t̪ | t | c | ʈ | k |
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ɳ | ŋ | |
| Lateral | l | ɭ | ||||
| Rhotic | r | ɽ | ||||
| Approximant | w | j |
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | ɪ, i | ʊ, u | |
| Mid | ɛ, e | ə | ɔ, o |
| Open | a |
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].[5]
Vocabulary
Below is a basic vocabulary list from Blake (1981).[6]
English Wemba-Wemba man beng woman lerg mother guinggurin father mam head murreng eye mir nose ganyug ear wirimbula mouth dyarb tongue dyaling tooth lia hand manye breast gurm stomach bili urine gir faeces guni thigh gareburdug foot dyine bone merderug blood gurg dog wilgar snake gurnwil kangaroo gure (grey), bara (red) possum wile fish yauwirr spider wirimbeliny mosquito liri emu dyurung-wil eaglehawk banggel crow wa sun nyaui star durd stone la water gaden camp lar fire wanab smoke burd meat benggug stand dyerriga sit nyengga see nyaga go yangga get garga hit daga (barrangguna 'kill') I yandang you ngin one gebin two buledya
Influence on English
At least four botanical terms in Australian English are thought to have been introduced into local speech from Wemba-Wemba:
- dilanj = nitre bush/dillon
- lerep = lerp/honeydew or lerp manna[7]
- gambang = bulrush/cumbungi[7]
- mali = mallee[7]
- The word yabby, a type of crayfish, comes from Wemba-Wemba.[8]
References
- "D1: Wemba Wemba". Austlang. AIATSIS. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- D1 Wemba-Wemba at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
- "AIATSIS AustLang Online". aiatsis.gov.au. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
- "AIATSIS AustLang Online". aiatsis.gov.au. Retrieved 12 October 2026.
- Hercus, Luise A. (1992). Wembawemba Dictionary.
- Blake, Barry J. (1981). Australian Aboriginal languages: a general introduction. London: Angus & Robertson Publishers. ISBN 0-207-14044-8.
- Clarke, Philip A. (2008). Aboriginal Plant Collectors: Botanists and Australian Aboriginal People in the Nineteenth Century. Rosenberg. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-877058-68-4. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
- Oxford Dictionary of English, p 2,054.