Hunter-Gatherer Language Database

Yir-Yoront

Family: Pama-Nyungan
Region: Australia
ISO 639-3: yiy
Location: -15.15°, 141.80°
Notes
Features: Flora Fauna Vocabulary
Cultural Vocabulary
Ethnographic Information

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Flora Fauna Vocabulary (129)

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English	Spanish	Portuguese	Semantic Field	Part of Speech	Linnean Name	Orthographic Form	Phonemicized Form	Gloss as in Source	Etymology Code	Proto-Form	Proto-Language	Loan Source	Etymology Notes	Wanderwort Status	Etyma Set	Range of Term	Word Structure	Word Structure Notes	Classifier	Classifier Notes	Hypernym	Source	Association with Social Categories	Ritual/Mythologically Significant	Ritual Notes	Food Source	Food Notes	Medicinal	Medicinal Notes	How Collected	Who Collects	How Prepared	Psychotropic	Psychotropic Notes	Traded	Trade Notes	Distribution	Habitat	Dangerous	Ethnobiology Notes	Species Notes	General Notes

English	Spanish	Portuguese	Semantic Field	Linnean Name	Orthographic Form	Phonemicized Form	Etymology Code	Proto-Form	Proto-Language	Loan Source	Etymology Notes	Wanderwort Status	Etyma Set	Range of Term	Word Structure	Word Structure Notes	Classifier Notes	Hypernym	Association with Social Categories	Ritual/Mythologically Significant	Food Source	Food Notes	Medicinal	Medicinal Notes	How Collected	Who Collects	How Prepared	Psychotropic	Traded	Habitat	Dangerous
agile wallaby, river wallaby			flora-fauna	Macropus agilis	lalpm; minh-	minh-lalpm	unique								underived					0	1		0		Speared; in Dry, driven by fire to blinds. Post-Wet, peaking in Dry; Pre-Wet			0	0		no
ant (generic)	hormiga	formiga	flora-fauna	Formicidae	mom(; lorr-) & kern; lorr-	(lorr-)mom & lorr-kern	inheritance	*mumu	Local		PPaman *kar(a)na > kern (black cockatoo)				underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
Australian pelican			flora-fauna	Pelecanus conspicillatus	pelkolvlh; minh	minh-pelkolvlh	unique				Sutton: 'pelican' words commonly comtain 'hip'. Should this be classed as calque?				compound	with pel 'hip'				0	0		0		all seasons, peaking in post-Wet			0	0		no
Australian snubfin dolphin			flora-fauna	Orcaella heinsohnii	thamvll	thamvll	unique								underived					0	0	Known to be eaten by people to the north	0					0	0		no
baler shell			flora-fauna	Melo amphora	ki	ki	inheritance	*kiika	local						underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
bandicoot			flora-fauna	Peramelemorphia	purrq; minh-	minh-purr7	unique													0	0		0					0	0
barn owl			flora-fauna	Tyto alba	thiw; minh-	minh-thiw	inheritance	*ciwa	pPama-Nyungan		Poss. imitative of call, conventionally voiceless [syiw]				underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
barramundi			flora-fauna	Lates calcarifer	kurr; ngar-	ngar-kurr	inheritance	*kurra	pPaman		To Kukatj kurr: 'perch'; poss. Local				underived					1	1	yes, big-time	0		All seasons, peaking in Wet			0	0		no
bat	murciélago	morcego	flora-fauna	Chiroptera spp	mal; minh- & manglh; minh- & thorn(t); minh-	minh-mal & minh-manglh & minh-thornt	inheritance	*mali	pPaman		Poss. wider than Paman			minh-mal: a small (as yet undentified) insectivorous bat but also poss. generic for bats (poss. incl. fruit-bats); minh-mal is also a gigantic mythic bat-creature; minh-manglh is colloquially identified as a flying fox and is possibly misidentified here.	underived					0	1		0					0	0		no
bindii, caltrop			flora-fauna	Tribulus terrestris	pinti	pinti	loan			English	Ultimately, < some southern Aboriginal language				underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
bird	pajaro, ave	passaro	flora-fauna		tholhth; minh- & puth-lon; minh	minh-tholhth	inheritance	*culci	pPaman						underived	/puth-lon/ 'wing-having'				0	0		0		small birds: all seasons			0	0		no
black-breasted buzzard			flora-fauna	Hamirostra melanosternon	missing	missing	missing								missing					0	0		0					0	0		no
black-faced cuckoo-shrike			flora-fauna	Coracina novaehollandiae	weyw; minh-	minh-weyw	loan direction unknown	*waya		Kuuk Thaayorre	as wey(+w) to KThaay way, waya				underived	Poss. with derivational /+w/				0	0		0					0	0		no
black-headed python			flora-fauna	Aspidites melanocephalus	koqvrrvlh; minh-	minh-ko7vrrvlh	unique								underived					0	2		0					0	0		no
black-soil yam			flora-fauna	Ipomoea diamantinensis	murrql; yo-	yo-murr7l	unique								underived					0	1		0					0	0		no
bloodwood			flora-fauna	Eucalyptus (Corymbia) bleeseri	pirriyl; yo-	yo-pirriyl	inheritance	parricVl or poss. purricVl	pYirrka-KKapér						underived					0	1		1	sap (red) is a briefly very painful but permanent cure for toothache				0	0		no
blowfly maggots			flora-fauna	Diptera, Sarcophagidae	palpar	palpar	inheritance	*palparV	pPaman						underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
blowfly/housefly	mosca	mosca	flora-fauna	Diptera	nhen	nhen	inheritance	*ñi:ni	local		problematic				underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
blue-tongue lizard			flora-fauna	Tiliqua species	paqarr; minh-	minh-pa7arr	inheritance	*pangkarra	pPama-Nyungan		Probably much undetected borrowing (poss. through English) in this etymon, especially in western languages.	WW	%pangkarra		underived					0	1		0		Post-Wet, peaking in Dry; Pre-Wet			0	0		no
blue-winged kookaburra			flora-fauna	Dacelo leachii	kuqa; minh-	minh-ku7a	inheritance	*kungkaka			Protoform poss. sound-symbolic				underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
bluebone			flora-fauna	Choerodon cyanodus	missing	missing	missing								missing					0	1		0		Men use spears; both sexes use nets			0	0		no
brolga			flora-fauna	Grus rubicunda	kurrqurr(l); minh-	minh-kurr7urrl	unknown				< imitation of call (kurrr, kurrr); a form of this (kurrkurr, korr) is attested as the ordinary word for 'brolga' across a number of languages of this region				reduplicated					1	0		0		speared; all seasons, peaking in post-Wet	men	bush-oven	0	0		no
brown goshawk			flora-fauna	Accipiter fasciatus	kayar; minh-	minh-kayar	unique								underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
brush-tailed possum			flora-fauna	Trichosurus vulpecula	mirtin; minh-	minh-mirtin	loan			Dyirbal	Dyirbal or poss. pre-Yidiny; either or both likely via song				underived					0	1		0		grabbed from holes in trees			0	0		no
bush cockroach			flora-fauna	(many species)	minh-loql; lorr- & minh-pengrr; lorr	lorr-minh-lo7l & lorr-minh-pengrr	unique								compound	The specific terms are themselves genus-species compounds: minh-loql 'stinking turtle', Chelodina steindachneri; minh-pengrr Ch. expansa				0	0		0					0	0		no
bush stone-curlew			flora-fauna	Burhinus grallarius	walm; minh-	minh-walm	unique							NOT bush stone-curlew	underived					1	0		0					0	0		no
bush tobacco			flora-fauna	Lobelia quadrangularis	yoq & thampáyk; yoq- & ya-pin; yoq-	yo7 & thampáyk; yo7- & ya-pin; yo7-	loan			English	/thampáyk/: English via Kriol, poss. Macassan, and other Aboriginal languages				underived					0	0		0					1	0		no
bush turkey, Australian bustard			flora-fauna	Ardeotis australis	themthem; minh-	minh-themthem	loan direction unknown				Mutual with KThaay themthem				reduplicated					0	1		0		speared; all seasins, peaking in Dry	men	bush-oven or coals	0	0		no
bush yam			flora-fauna	Vigna lanceolata var. lanceolata	wortol; may-	may-wortol	unique							Also /wañcvw/ 'Dioscorea bulbifera' (see KKaper entry): this is the yam that is the standard item of diet	underived					0	1	Root cooked in ashes & eaten	2					0	1		no
butterfly, moth	mariposa	borboleta	flora-fauna	Lepidoptera	minh-ngorro; lorr- & themrr; lorr-	lorr-minh-ngorro & lorr-themrr	calque				Other local languages name all or some butterflies as magpie goose; themrr is unique				compound	The specific term minh-ngorro 'magpie goose' is itself a genus-species compound; themrr 'sulphur-crested cockatoo' is simplex				0	0		0					0	0		no
carpet snake			flora-fauna	Morelia spilota	polt; minh-	minh-polt	inheritance													0	1		0					0	0
caterpillar			flora-fauna	Lepidoptera	missing	missing	missing								missing					0	0		0					0	0		no
catfish			flora-fauna	(many species)	kopvrrlh [FW lagoons; flat forehead, thick flat tail] & koqvlt [SW] & kunvlh [FW; Tandanus tandanus] & manl [small; FW & SW] & ngolpuwl [black, a bit big] & ngothor [SW, small mouth] & nhalvlt [blue] & pirrp [short-nosed] & pung [coppery red like sun, big	kopvrrlh [FW lagoons; flat forehead, thick flat tail] & koqvlt [SW] & kunvlh [FW; Tandanus tandanus] & manl [small; FW & SW] & ngolpuwl [black, a bit big] & ngothor [SW, small mouth] & nhalvlt [blue] & pirrp [short-nosed] & pung [coppery red like sun, big	unique								underived	all				0	1		0		All seasons, peaking in Wet			0	0		no
centipede	ciempiés	centopéia	flora-fauna	Chilopoda, Myriapoda	(minh-)popor; lorr-	lorr-(minh-)popor	unique								compound	The specific tem minh-popor 'brownsnake' is itself a genus-species compound.				0	0		0					0	0		no
channel-billed cuckoo			flora-fauna	Scythops novaehollandiae	missing	missing	missing								missing					0	0		0					0	0		no
crested pigeon			flora-fauna	Ocyphaps lophotes	kolorr; minh-	minh-kolorr	inheritance	*kurlu+	pPama-Nyungan		Sound-symbolic (dove's call), especially in its tri- and tetrasyllabic attestations. Probably many of the attestations are loans.	WW	%kurlu+	Also bar-shouldered dove (Geopelia humeralis) and other G. spp. O. lophotes is said to be a forest country (east of YY country) bird.	underived					0	0		0					0	0	Forest country (mostly to east of YY country).	no
darter/cormorant			flora-fauna	Anhinga melanogaster, Phalacrocorax species	ko+kal+w; minh- & kawvnvnh; minh-	minh-ko+kal+w & minh-kawvnvnh	calque			Unknown	ko+kal+w to KThaay koow+kirk; calque judgement based on Local distribution; note also Kurrtjar keergh 'darter; spike, sharp spine'				compound	/kokalvw/ with /ko/ 'nose, beak' + /kal? < /kalq/ 'spear' + adjective-deriving /w/ & /kawvnvnh/ with /kawvn/ 'water'				0	1	all seasons, peaking in post-Wet	0					0	0		no
death adder, five-minute snake			flora-fauna	Acanthophis praelongus	larty; minh-	minh-larty	unique								underived					0	0		0					0	0	Said to be common in country to the south, on sand-ridges.	yes
dingo			flora-fauna	Canis familiaris dingo	marrvm; kur-	kur-marrvm	unique								underived	generic 'dog' < kurta; marrvm 'wild' in highly specialised contexts				0	0		0					0	0		no
dog (camp, domestic)	perro	cachorro	flora-fauna	Canis familiaris	kurta	kurta	inheritance	*kutaka	pPaman; poss. wider; poss. < 'koala'					/kurta/ is used as a generic for a number of domesticated animals of European origin	underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
duck	pato	pato, marreco	flora-fauna	Anatidae	yuwar; minh- & perreyvl; minh- & lirrql; minh-	minh-yuwar & minh-perreyvl & minh-lirrql	unique	pirriñcVl & tirrkal	Local						underived	both				0	1		0		eggs during wet		earth-oven	0	0		no
dugong			flora-fauna	Dugon dugong	komorvw; minh-	minh-komorvw	unique								compound	With ko 'nose'; mor+w prob. a reference to its shape				1	1	yes	0		harpooned from boats	men	earth-oven	0	0		no
earthworm			flora-fauna	Annelida, Oligochaeta	nhorrq (; minh-)	(minh-)nhorr7	unique								underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
emu			flora-fauna	Dromaius novaehollandiae	pirri; minh-	minh-pirri	inheritance	*purriwi	pPaman		Dixon (review of YY Lexicon) relates this to Mbabaram p3rr 'emu' presumably < *CVpirri & therefore a loan in YY				underived			Not a 'bird' (minh-puth-lon)	older males	2	1	age & gender taboos	2		speared; all seasons	men	elaborately; bush-oven	0	0		no
fish (generic)	pez	peixe	flora-fauna		ngart	ngart	inheritance	*ngata	pPaman						underived	Typically /ngar/ when used as a generic with a simplex specific term.				0	1		0					0	0		N/A
flower			flora-fauna	(NA)	kernterr & thaw; par-	kernterr & par-thaw	unique								underived	/par/ 'head', /thaw/ 'mouth'				0	0		0					0	0		no
flying-fox (generic)			flora-fauna	(many species)	kiltin; minh-	minh-kiltin	unique							Not a generic as far as I can tell. See 'bat' above regarding minh-manglh.	underived					0	0	cooked on open fire or in earth-oven	0		shotguns; sticks; Post-Wet, peaking in Dry, Pre-Wet	men; ?women	cooked on coals or in earth-oven	0	0		no
freshwater crocodile			flora-fauna	Crocodylus johnstoni	kanharr; minh-	minh-kanharr	inheritance	*kañarra	pPaman		Attestations on the east coast of CYP refer to the saltwater crocodile				underived					0	0		0		Wet season			0	0		no
freshwater mussel			flora-fauna	Velesunio wilsoni	wirq; kumn & mirtangrr	kumn-wir7 & mirtangrr	unique								compound	kumn 'thigh', wirq 'bone (as felt from outside)'				0	1		0		all seasons, peaking in Wet			0	0		no
freshwater prawn			flora-fauna	Macrobrachium rosenbergii	pothn	pothn	inheritance	*pucin	local						underived					0	1		0					0	0		no
frill-necked lizard			flora-fauna	Chlamydosaurus kingii	kalvlh; minh	minh-kalvlh	unique								underived					0	1		0					0	0		no
frog (generic)			flora-fauna	(many species)	thertl	thertl	inheritance	*cata	pPaman; poss. pre-Pama-Nyungan (cognates in Gunwinyguan)		The protoform *catal is Local				underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
galah			flora-fauna	Eolophus roseicapilla	kalvmvr	kalvmvr	inheritance													0	0		0					0	0
ghost gum			flora-fauna	Eucalyptus papuana (Corymbia bella)	pororrl; yo-	yo-pororrl	unique								underived					2	0		1					0	0		no
goanna (generic) or sand goanna			flora-fauna	Varanus spp	ngarrchw; minh-	minh-ngarrchw	inheritance	*ngarrcim(pV)	local						derived	Probably with derivational +w				0	1		2		All seasons, peaking in Dry; eggs Post-Wet & Dry			0	0		no
grass	hierba, pasto	capim, grama	flora-fauna	(NA)	warrq	warr7	inheritance	*warrka	local		Pos. pPama-Nyungan if 'hair' senses are included			grasses and sedges	underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
grasshopper			flora-fauna	Orthoptera	pirtilt; lorr-	lorr-pirtilt	inheritance	*punti+	pPama-Maric, with likely cognates as far away as Karnic		phonological history in YYoront is problematic				underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
great bowerbird			flora-fauna	Chlamydera nuchalis	thenvwthan; minh-	minh-thenvwthan	unique								compound	/then/ 'penis' with derivational /+w/ and /than/ 'stand', poss. a reference to the not-always visible pink crest as like an erect penis				1	0		0					0	0		no
green ant			flora-fauna	Oecophylla smaragdina	thiqvrrowr	thiqvrrowr	unique								compound	With +(rr)owr				0	2		1					0	0		no
green sea turtle			flora-fauna	Chelonia mydas	parmvn; minh-	minh-parmvn	unique								underived					1	1		0					0	0		no
green tree snake			flora-fauna	Dendrelaphis punctulata	missing	missing	missing								missing					0	2		0					0	0		no
head/body lice			flora-fauna	Pediculus capitis, Pediculus humanus	kaq	kaq	inheritance	*kaku	pPaman						underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
horse	caballo	cavalho	flora-fauna	Equus caballus	yarrvmvn & karntl; kurta-	yarrvmvn & kurta-karntl	loan			languages to south and east	(yarrvmvn)	WW	%yarraman		underived	kurta-karntl lit. 'big dog', with kurta as generic for domesticated mammalian spp				0	0		0					0	0		no
hummingbird	colibrí, picaflor (Peru)	beija-flor	flora-fauna	Trochilidae	missing		missing								missing					0	0		0					0	0		no
humpback whale			flora-fauna	Megaptera novaeangliae	thathorrnh or thathorrvnyvrr	thathorrnh or thathorrvnyvrr	calque				mutual calque, Local; KThaay thaa+thomp to YYoront, or vice versa				compound	/tha/ 'mouth' + /thorrnh ~ thorrnyrr/ < /thorrchn/ 'smoke, vapour', an allusion to its spouting				1	1		0					0	0		no
insect (generic)	insecto	insecto	flora-fauna	generic	lorr	lorr	inheritance	tu:rru or tu:kurr	pPama-Nyungan		HIGHLY PROBLEMATIC			Most insects but not hornets (/ponh/), sugarbag bees (/may-), edible grub (/ngarllúq/, mosquitos, flies; used of centipede; variable with /maqar/ 'spider'; not with /waln/ 'tick', /thonhthvn/ 'scorpion'.	underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
jabiru			flora-fauna	Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus	mor; minh-	minh-mor	inheritance													0	0		0					0	0
jungle-fowl (scrub-fowl)			flora-fauna	Megapodius freycinet	thurrqn; minh-	minh-thurr7n	inheritance	*currkan	local		Poss. pPaman				underived					0	1		0		all seasons; eggs pre-Wet, peaking in Wet			0	0		no
kangaroo (generic)			flora-fauna	Macropodidae	porr; minh-	minh-porr	inheritance	*purru	pPama-Nyungan		pPama-Nyungan status very shaky, hinging among other things on 19th-C transcriptions that fail to distinguish r/rr.			NOT generic; grey kangaroo only; see Other Notes	underived					2	1		0					0	0		no
land snail			flora-fauna	Gastropoda	koporr	koporr	unique								underived	Poss. w. /ko/ 'nose'				0	0		0					0	0		no
magpie goose			flora-fauna	Anseranas semipalmata	ngorro; minh-	minh-ngorro	inheritance	*ngurrumpa	pPama-Nyungan		pPNy poss. *kurrumpa				underived	both				0	1	eggs, mosquito-bitten young, & adults	0		eggs during Wet; eggs & mosquito-bitten young snatched from nest; adults speared	women & men gather, men spear	adult: earth-oven	0	0		no
military dragon			flora-fauna	Ctenophorus isolepis, Diporiphora spp., Lophognathus spp.	parn+yirrin; minh-	minh-parn+yirrin	unique							Agamidae except frill-lizard	compound	parts not recorded elsewhere				0	0		0					0	0		no
mosquito	mosquito, zancudo	mosquito, carapana	flora-fauna	Anopheles spp, Isoptera	korll	korll	inheritance	*ku(:)tir(V)	local		problematic, but poss. cognates				underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
mud wasp, hornet			flora-fauna	(many species)	ponh	ponh	inheritance	*pu:ñi	pPaman						underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
native bee			flora-fauna	(many species)	ngamvlwurrvw; may-	may-ngamvlwurrvw	inheritance	*wurrupa	pPaman		Sound correspondences are problematic and attestation is sparse.				compound	ngaml (poss. 'big') + wurrvw				0	0		0		chop tree down; pre-Wet & Wet			0	0		no
native cat			flora-fauna	Dasyurus	thiq; minh-	minh-thi7	inheritance	*cika	pPNy		Questionable				underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
northern brown bandicoot			flora-fauna	Isoodon macrourus	purrq; minh-	minh-purr7	inheritance	*purrka	Eastern; poss. pPNy						underived					0	1		0		Dry season only			0	0		no
northern kurrajong			flora-fauna	Brachychiton diversifolius	kalirrn ~ kalvtn; may-	may-kalirrn ~ may-kalvtn	unique								compound	kal+yirrn				0	1	nuts from pod; exuded sap eaten like lolly	no?					0	0		no
nut tree			flora-fauna	Terminalia grandifolia	kalpmthann; yo-/may- & lar; yo-	yo-/may-kalpmthann & yo-lar	unique								compound	Poss. kalpn 'hard, fast', than 'to stand'				0	1	black fruit, like plum	0		Pre-Wet			0	0		no
octopus			flora-fauna	Octopus australis	missing	missing	missing								missing					0	0		0					0	0		no
pandanus palm			flora-fauna	Pandanus spiralis	kunhthn	kunhthn	inheritance	*kunca	pPama-Nyungan		Attestation only in Arnhem land and western CYP				underived					1	1	the nut/fruit, may-ngarqrr, is eaten	0				takes some doing	0	1		no
paperbark			flora-fauna	Melaleuca sericea, Melaleuca stenostachya	pethw; yo- & waqarr; (yo-)	yo-pethw & (yo-)waqarr	unique								underived	Prob /peth/ ('fishing rod') + /w/.				0	0	Leaves used to give flavour in cooking and as plate to put food on	1					0	0		no
peaceful dove			flora-fauna	Geopelia placida	kolorr; minh-	minh-kolorr	inheritance	*kurlu+	pPama-Nyungan		Sound-symbolic (dove's call), especially in its tri- and tetrasyllabic attestations. Probably many of the attestations are loans.	WW	%kurlu+		underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
pearlshell			flora-fauna	Pinctada spp	wol	wol	unique								underived		wol can be used as a generic.			1	1		0					0	1		no
peewee			flora-fauna	Gryllina cyanoleuca	lilqlir; minh-	minh-lil7lir	unique								underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
pied butcherbird			flora-fauna	Cracticus nigrogularis	missing	missing	missing								missing					0	0		0					0	0		no
pike eel			flora-fauna	Muraenesox arabicus	pin+lenh; ngar-	ngar-pin+lenh	unique								compound	/pin/ probably 'ear'; /+lenh/ not determined				0	1		0					0	0	Both salt- and fresh-water.	no
praying mantis, stick insects	mantis religiosa	louva-a-deus	flora-fauna	Mantodea	minh-kothorr; lorr-	lorr-minh-kothorr	unique								compound	The specific term minh-kothorr 'saltwater crocodile' is itself a genus-species compound.				0	0		0					0	0		no
prickle bush			flora-fauna	Sclerolaena bicornis	missing	missing	missing								missing					0	0		0					0	0		no
quail (generic)			flora-fauna	Coturnix species, Turnix species	lorrvyvl; minh- & kurrq(n); minh-	minh-lorrvyvl & minh-kurrq(n)	inheritance				To UOyk /erryal/.				underived	both				0	0		0					0	0	/minh-lorrvyvl/ is from dry country; /minh-kurrqn/, its mate, is from wetter country	no
red river gum			flora-fauna	Eucalyptus camaldulensis	porqol, yo-	yo-por7ol	inheritance	*porko+	pYirrka-KKaper						underived					2	0		1					0	1		no
red-tailed black-cockatoo			flora-fauna	Calyptorhynchus banksi	kern	kern	inheritance	kar.na or karana	; cognates in Gunwinyguan						underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
riflefish, archerfish			flora-fauna	Toxotes chatareus	palq; ngar-	ngar-pal7	unique								underived					0	1		0					0	0		no
river mangrove			flora-fauna	Aegicera corniculatum	thawirll; yo-	yo-thawirll	unique								compound	/tha/ 'mouth' (poss. 'flower' in this context) + /wirll/ (sense not ascertained)				0	0		2					0	1		Not to people
rock fig			flora-fauna	Ficus brachypoda	kuparrl; yo-/may- & thethw; yo-/may- & therteyrr; yo-/may-	yo-/may-kuparrl & yo-/may-thethw & yo-/may-therteyrr	unique								underived	/therteyrr/ with /thert/ in derived forms meaning 'rough' & /thethw/ with /theth/ (elsewhere 'pus', for the milky sap)				0	1		0		Dry (thethvw)			0	0		no
sacred kingfisher			flora-fauna	Todiramphus sancta	wartawurrl; minh-	minh-wartawurrl	unique								compound	/warta/ 'river' + /wurrl/ 'crosswise' (?)				0	0		0					0	0		no
saltwater crocodile			flora-fauna	Crocodylus porosus	kothorr; minh-	minh-kothorr	unique								underived					2	2		0					0	0		yes
saltwater mussel			flora-fauna	Mytilidae	wert	wert	unique								underived					0	1		0		all seasons, peaking in Wet			0	0		no
sawfish			flora-fauna	Pristis pectinata	wurryvm; ngar-	ngar-wurryvm	unique								underived					1	0		0		speared (usually from hand); beginning in Post-Wet & peaking in Dry & Pre-Wet			0	0		yes
scorpion	escorpión; alacran	escorpião	flora-fauna	Arachnida, Scorpiones	thonhthvn	thonhthvn	inheritance	*cuncun	pPaman; poss. (as *cuncu+) pPama-Nyungan						underived	Poss. redupication				0	0		0					0	0		no
shark (generic)			flora-fauna	Selachimorpha	worrqo; ngar-	ngar-worr7o	semantic shift							various spp.	underived	worrqo 'elder brother' as in address				0	0		0		speared (usually from hand); beginning in Post-Wet & peaking in Dry & Pre-Wet			0	0		variable
shell (generic)			flora-fauna		missing	missing	missing								missing					0	1		0					0	1		no
short-beaked echidna			flora-fauna	Tachyglossus aculeatus	kalqperr; minh-	minh-kal7perr	calque			Unknown	YYoront to KThaay or vice versa; HOWEVER, in view of Kukatj kalkapurrk 'echidna', possibilities also include independent invention and (assuming trandcription vagaries) full cognation (*kalka+pirrki)				compound	/kalq/ 'spear' < kalka; /perr/ poss. < pirrki orpikirrkalq 'spear' < kalka; perr poss. < pirrki orpikirr. /kalq/ 'spear' is a reference to the spines				0	2		0					0	0		no
snake (generic)	culebra, serpiente	cobra	flora-fauna		tholqorr; minh-	minh-thol7orr	unique								underived	tholqorr 'long': minh-tholqorr (like the respect-language equivalent wirqvyvw ('bony one', referring to the many ribs) is a coinage of convenience; there is, properly speaking, no generic term for 'snake'				0	1		0		Post-Wet, peaking in Dry; Pre-Wet. Eggs Post-Wet & Dry			0	0		many spp
snappy gum			flora-fauna	Eucalyptus brevifolia	missing	missing	missing								missing					0	0		1					0	0		no
spider	araña	aranha	flora-fauna	Arachnida, Araneae	maqar	ma7ar	unique				Poss. source of loan to KThaay ma'ar 'spider, or vice versa				underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
spinifex			flora-fauna	Triodia species	missing	missing	missing								missing					0	0		2					0	0		no
spoonbills (yellow-billed spoonbill, black-billed spoonbill)			flora-fauna	Platalea flavipes, Platalea regia	ko+mervlh; minh-	minh-ko+mervlh	unique								compound	With /ko/ 'nose, beak' plus /mer+lh/ (sense not determined, but undoubtedly a reference to the shape)				0	0		0		all seasons, peaking in post-Wet			0	0		no
stingray (generic)	rayas látigo, raya	arraia	flora-fauna	Dasyatidae	thip; ngar-	ngar-thip	calque	ngata, cipa	ngata (fish) pPaman; cipa (liver) pPama-Nyungan and poss. pre-PNy (cognates in Gunwinyguan)	Unknown	Protoform poss. *kipa; 'liver' is a reference to the prominence of the liver in preparation as food. Mutual calque, Local; OR loan with source undeterminable. YYoront OR KThaay			Various spp; can also refer to sharks, hence generic for elasmobranch fish.	underived					0	1	All rays are prepared for eating in an elaborate manner prominently involving the liver (thip), hence the name	0		speared (usually from hand); beginning in Post-Wet & peaking in Dry & Pre-Wet			0	0		variable
stripe-faced dunnart			flora-fauna	Sminthopsis macroura	missing	missing	missing								missing					0	0		0					0	0		no
sugarbag wax			flora-fauna		maq; may-	may-ma7	unique								underived	maq poss. 'bottom'				1	1		0		chop tree down			0	0		no
sulphur-crested cockatoo			flora-fauna	Cacatua galerita	themrr	themrr	unique	*cimVrr	Local						underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
swamp eel			flora-fauna	Ophisternon gutturale	missing	missing	missing								missing					0	1		0					0	0		no
swamp leech			flora-fauna	Annelida, Hirudinea	memr	memr	inheritance	*mimint	pYirrka-Kok-Kapér						underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
tawny frogmouth			flora-fauna	Podargus strigoides	law; minh-	minh-law	inheritance	*tawa/u	pPama-Nyungan		Outside Local (*tawa), only attestation is Djapu /rdawurtawu/ 'tawny frogmouth'				underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
termite mounds, ant hills			flora-fauna	Isoptera	lipn & mu-pel & yo-yethrr	lipn & mu-pel & yo-yethrr	inheritance	tipa (antbed) & mungku/a (antbed) & *pirlu (hip)	pPama-Nyungan (all)						compound	/mu-pel/ & /yo-yethrr/ are stress-second compounds; /lipn/ is simplex				0	0		1	eaten by women with newborns to stimulate lactation				0	0		no
termites, white-ants	comején (Peru), termitas	cupim	flora-fauna	(many species)	mom; lorr	lorr-mom	inheritance	*mumu	local						underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
ti-tree			flora-fauna	Melaleuca bracteata	missing	missing	missing								missing					0	0		1					0	0		no
tick	garrapata	carrapato	flora-fauna	Arachnida, Acarina	waln	waln	unique								underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
tiger shark			flora-fauna	Galeocerdo cuvier	missing	missing	missing								missing					0	0		0					0	0		yes
torresian crow			flora-fauna	Corvus orru	waw; min-	minh-waw	unique				sound-symbolic				underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
tree	árbol	arvore	flora-fauna	(NA)	yoq	yo7	inheritance	*yuku	pPaman		poss. pPama-Nyungan				underived					0	0		0					0	0		no
turtle (generic)			flora-fauna	(many species)	pengrr; minh- & loql; minh-	minh-pengrr & minh-loql	inheritance	*pangVrr	pSWPaman		KThaay to Kurrtjar along the coast; not inland			There is no generic term for turtles/tortoises, but /minh-penrr/ is poss. prototypical.	underived					0	1		0		Dug from mud with yamstick; post-Wet, Dry, & pre-wet. Eggs post-Wet & Dry	women; also men	cooked in ashes	0	0		no
waterlily			flora-fauna	Nymphaea macrosperma	thenhthrr; may- & kunkalmvlh; may- & parn; may-	may-thenhthrr & may-kunkalmvlh & may-parn	unique								underived	/kunkalmvlh/ prob. /kun/ 'bottom' + /kalm/ + /lh/				0	1	various parts, separately named	2		Post-Wet (kunkalmvlh); stems (may-kach, may-kewrr) Post-Wet peaking in Dry; peak in Post-Wet extending into Dry (thentherrl)			0	0		no
wattle			flora-fauna	Acacia difficilis	missing	missing	missing								missing					0	0		1					0	1		no
wedge-tailed eagle			flora-fauna	Aquila audax	wangrr; minh & larrpo; minh-	minh-wangrr & minh-larrpo	calque				< /wangrr/ 'ghost' in YY < pPama-Nyungan *wangarr ('totem' or 'ghost'); /minh-wangarr/ is a mutual calque with KThaay /minh-wang/				underived	both				1	0		0					0	0		no
willie wagtail			flora-fauna	Rhipidura leucophrys	thithvrrowr; minh-	minh-thithvrrowr	inheritance	*thitharr	local		local but likely pPamn, poss. pPama-Nyungan				compound	With /(rr)owr/, a formative of undetermined significance				1	0		0					0	0		no
witchetty grub			flora-fauna	(many species)	ngar-luq (; lorr)	(lorr-)ngar-lu7	unique								compound	/ngarllú'/ contains /ngar-/ 'fish'; man-luq is an abdominal organ, not determined				0	1		2				cooked in ashes	0	0		no
woma			flora-fauna	Aspidites ramsayii	missing	missing	missing								missing					0	1		0					0	0		no


agile wallaby, river wallaby
ant (generic)
Australian pelican
Australian snubfin dolphin
baler shell
bandicoot
barn owl
barramundi
bat
bindii, caltrop
bird
black-breasted buzzard
black-faced cuckoo-shrike
black-headed python
black-soil yam
bloodwood
blowfly maggots
blowfly/housefly
blue-tongue lizard
blue-winged kookaburra
bluebone
brolga
brown goshawk
brush-tailed possum
bush cockroach
bush stone-curlew
bush tobacco
bush turkey, Australian bustard
bush yam
butterfly, moth
carpet snake
caterpillar
catfish
centipede
channel-billed cuckoo
crested pigeon
darter/cormorant
death adder, five-minute snake
dingo
dog (camp, domestic)
duck
dugong
earthworm
emu
fish (generic)
flower
flying-fox (generic)
freshwater crocodile
freshwater mussel
freshwater prawn
frill-necked lizard
frog (generic)
galah
ghost gum
goanna (generic) or sand goanna
grass
grasshopper
great bowerbird
green ant
green sea turtle
green tree snake
head/body lice
horse
hummingbird
humpback whale
insect (generic)
jabiru
jungle-fowl (scrub-fowl)
kangaroo (generic)
land snail
magpie goose
military dragon
mosquito
mud wasp, hornet
native bee
native cat
northern brown bandicoot
northern kurrajong
nut tree
octopus
pandanus palm
paperbark
peaceful dove
pearlshell
peewee
pied butcherbird
pike eel
praying mantis, stick insects
prickle bush
quail (generic)
red river gum
red-tailed black-cockatoo
riflefish, archerfish
river mangrove
rock fig
sacred kingfisher
saltwater crocodile
saltwater mussel
sawfish
scorpion
shark (generic)
shell (generic)
short-beaked echidna
snake (generic)
snappy gum
spider
spinifex
spoonbills (yellow-billed spoonbill, black-billed spoonbill)
stingray (generic)
stripe-faced dunnart
sugarbag wax
sulphur-crested cockatoo
swamp eel
swamp leech
tawny frogmouth
termite mounds, ant hills
termites, white-ants
ti-tree
tick
tiger shark
torresian crow
tree
turtle (generic)
waterlily
wattle
wedge-tailed eagle
willie wagtail
witchetty grub
woma

Showing 1 to 129 of 129 entries

Cultural Vocabulary (87)

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English	Spanish	Portuguese	Semantic Field	Part of Speech	Orthographic Form	Phonemicized Form	Gloss as in Source	Etymology Code	Proto-Form	Proto-Language	Loan Source	Wanderwort Status	Etyma Set	Etymology Notes	Word Structure	Word Structure Notes	General Notes	Source

English	Spanish	Portuguese	Semantic Field	Orthographic Form	Gloss as in Source	Etymology Code	Proto-Form	Proto-Language	Loan Source	Etymology Notes	General Notes
afterworld, land of dead, Heaven	tierra do los muertos	terra dos mortos	culture-mythology	yuw+kuw	'far to the west', only in pam-yuw+kuw yaw '(persons who have) gone far to the west'	unknown
armband			dress	puy-kunhthn	pandanus armband	inheritance	puñca (arm), kuncan (pandanus)	pPaman, pPMy		Not reconstructible as a compound to any depth
awl			subsistence tool			missing
axe/stone axe	hacha (de piedra)	machado (de pedra)	subsistence tool	kay		unknown
bag (string)			culture-material	kunh (also thawl, ngow, depending on weave)	netting stitch dillybag	inheritance	*kuña	pPama-Maric, Mayi
bait for fishing	cebo, carnada para pescar, empate (Peru)	isca	subsistence tool	pu7		inheritance	*puka (rotten)	pPNy
basket (general)	canasta, canasto, cesta	cesto	culture-material			missing
body feather decorations			culture-mythology			missing
boomerang (number 7)			subsistence tool			missing
boomerang (small)			subsistence tool			missing
boomerang/throwing stick (generic)			subsistence tool	wern		unique
bowl (coolamon)			culture-material	pinarr		inheritance	*pinarri (pertaining to ears)	pPNy		Etymology tentative; material (Vespertilio) is yo-pinarr
broom	escoba	vassoura	culture-material			missing
canoe	canoa	canoa	transport			missing
cicatrice			culture-mythology	lilpm		inheritance	*tilpa	Local		YY, YMel, UOyk, UOlk
clapsticks			culture-mythology	murrn		inheritance	*murra	pEastern		Etymology problematic; YY has two senses: clapsticks, and thrown club; putative cognates are 'throwing stick'
club (nulla-nulla)			subsistence tool	nawulu		loan		Local
cook food			food	wur	burn (vt)	inheritance	*wita	ppNy		Etymology (WD wita-) is underattested
cook in earth oven			food	kaw		inheritance	*ka:mpa-	pPNy		Original sense poss. 'to burn', both vt & vi
damper			food			missing
dance (generic)			culture-mythology	woy	dance, song, ceremony	inheritance	*wuuci	Local		To KThaayorre wuuc.
digging stick			subsistence tool	kathn	digging stick, yamstick	inheritance	*kacin	pPaman
dipper (small coolamon)			subsistence tool			missing
dream	sueño, soñar	sonho, sonhar	culture-mythology	pitharr	dream (a personage in a dream)	inheritance	*picarra	pPaman		At least as far south as Gumbainggir and Muruwari
dreaming			culture-mythology	purrn	totem	unique				Possibly Local, and possibly with cognates as far south as NE NSW, meaning 'shield'
drone pipe			culture-mythology	pamp	didgeridoo	loan				Ultimate source English.
fire drill			subsistence tool	koc	firesticks; lizard sp.	loan			unknown	Shared with WMungknh; connection of senses in YY via sorcery
fire-saw			other			missing
fireplace	hogar	lareira	other	thum-thaw		unique				('fire' - 'mouth')
firewood	leña	lenha	other	thum	fire, firewood	inheritance	*cuma	pPaman		Cognates meaning 'smoke' at least as far away as Gumbainggir; poss. also Pilbara thama 'fire'
fish (with fish-poison)	pescar con barbasco, barbasquear	pescar com timbó; tinguijar	food	lalhthnh pow
fish (with line)	anzuelear, pescar con linea	pescar (com linha)	food	ngart wañ		unique				Lit. 'throw fish'
fish (with spear)			food	ngart kal
fish poison	barbasco, matapez (Colombia)	timbó	subsistence tool			missing
fishing line	cordel/cuerda p/ pescar, sedal, tanze	linha de pesca	subsistence tool	yoporr	string
fishtrap (permanent)			subsistence tool	worr	fishweir		*wurri	Local
fishtrap (woven)			subsistence tool	lart	fish-trap (type)	unique
flour (bush)			food	may-kaprr	flour	inheritance	*kamparr	pPaman		To Yidiny gambarr 'fine sawdust (from grubs, fine haze, fine dust'
game animal	caza, animal de caza	caça, animal de caça	food	minh	game animal (etc)	inheritance	*miña	pPaman		To PPaman in this sense; much more widespread (if cognate) as 'what'
ghost (of dead person)/evil spirit	espíritu malo, espíritu maligno, fantasma, demonio	espirito	culture-mythology	wangarr	ghost	inheritance	*wangarr	pPNy		Poss. a Wanderwort, not pPNy (NE Arnhem & CYP only)
glue			subsistence tool			missing				As in Palta pe nhungnh 'buried'
grave	tumba, sepultura, sepulcro	sepultura, sepulcro, cova	culture-mythology	palt	earth, earth as place of burial	unique
grog			food	kawn-wil	grog, beer, etc.	unique				water - bitter / sour
hair belt			dress	maq	belt (of possum-fur string), waist-string	semantic shift	*mangka	pPaman		Original sense 'bottom'; connection claim tentative
headband			dress			missing
headband			dress			missing
healer	curandero	benzador, curandeiro, kumu (Tukano)	culture-mythology	wangarr+wirvw	doctor (traditional or MD)	unique				With wangarr 'ghost'
honey	miel	mel	food	may-ngaml+wurvw	sugarbag	unique				With +wurw poss. *wur(r)upa
house (European)			other	ngolt	house (traditional [generic] and European)	unique
hunt	cazar	caçar	food	kurr=tha	forage; hunt, gather	unique				With tha 'go up'
initiation (circumcision)			culture-mythology			missing
initiation (circumcision)			culture-mythology			missing
knife	cuchillo	faca	culture-material	ngart+yenn	knife	calque		Local		To KKaper (pa-) koy+yakéñ 'knife' (fish+cutter, with special reference to grass-culm sliver used to cut stingray liver, but extended to any knife); not clear which language originated. Also /nayp/ < English.
loincloth	taparrabos, guayuco, pampanilla	tanga, tapa-sexo	dress			missing
love song			culture-mythology			missing
mangrove raft			transport	won	swimming log	unique				Made from yo-won (kapok mangrove, Camptostemon schultzii; not fabricated into a raft)
message stick			culture-mythology	kolpm	message stick	loan direction unknown	*kulpu			To Mayi-Thakurti kulpu 'letter stick'; Wanderwort status is a guess.
mortar	mortero	pilão	subsistence tool	lith-mart	top grindstone	unique				With lith 'beach-stone', mart 'small'; contrast lith-ngamayrr 'bottom grindstone'
nosepeg			other	kow-yum	nasal septum ornament	unique				With kow 'nose', yum 'bamboo'; can also be bone
ochre			culture-mythology			missing
paddle/oar	remo	remo	transport	pell [pedl]	oar	loan			English	paddle
paint body, body paint	pintura corporal	pintura corporal	culture-mythology			missing
pestle	pilón, mano de mortero, mazo, moledor	mão de pilão	subsistence tool	lith-ngamayrr	bottom grindstone	unique				With lith 'beach-stone', ngamayrr 'mother; biggest in a set'
pipe for tobacco	pipa	cachimbo	other	payp	pipe	loan			English	pipe
public song cycle			culture-mythology	woy	song, song-cycle; dance; ceremony	inheritance	*wu:ci	Local		Only to YY, TMel, KThaayorre; poss. to Pakanh wu:ci 'taboo'
red paint			culture-mythology	wo7	red paint	unique
resin	resina, brea, copal	resina, brea, breu	subsistence tool			missing
salt	sal	sal	food			missing
shelter (native)			other	ngolt	house (generic)	unique
song (for entertainment)			culture-mythology	woy	song, song-cycle; dance; ceremony	inheritance	*wu:ci	Local		Only to YY, TMel, KThaayorre; poss. to Pakanh wu:ci 'taboo'
song (generic)	canción, canto	canção	culture-mythology	woy	song, song-cycle; dance; ceremony	inheritance	*wu:ci	Local		Only to YY, TMel, KThaayorre; poss. to Pakanh wu:ci 'taboo'
spear	lanza	lança	subsistence tool	kal7	spear	inheritance	*kalka	pPaman		Poss. pPNy
spear (fighting)			subsistence tool	kal7	spear	inheritance	*kalka	pPaman		Poss. pPNy
spear (fishing)			subsistence tool	kal-thaw	four-prong spear	unique	kalka, ca:wa				With kal < kalka; thaw 'mouth'
spearthrower			subsistence tool	thol	spearthrower, woomera	inheritance	*culi	pPaman		Poss. to Karnic *thurli 'mussel', relating to the shell (usually bailer-shell) counterweight attached to spearthrowers in CYP
speartip			subsistence tool	kothamlh	barb	unique				With ko < kow 'nose'	Several near-synonyms
string (from hair)			culture-material	yoporr	strng	unique
string (from vine)			culture-material	perrprr	string
sugar			acculturation	may-thortm	sugar	unique				With thortm 'sand'
tea			food	may-yap	tea leaves	unique				With yap 'leaves'; may-tiy is the meal 'tea'.
tobacco (European)			narcotics	yo7-ya-pin	tobacco (plant)	unique				With ya(p)-pin leaves'
tobacco (native)			narcotics			missing
totem (conception)			culture-mythology	lerrn-erp	spirit-child						A unique species (e.g. leech), remembered by a person
wax	cera	cera	other	minmangn	ironwood wax	unique				With +mangn, in several 'wax' terms	The most frequently mentioned; other common types are ngurrmangn (beefwood), marrwarrn (sugarbag), purryimangn (pandanus), and there are several others from sugarbag.
white paint			culture-mythology	mul	white paint	inheritance	*mula	pPaman		Reflexes meaning 'pus', 'blood', 'honey', slime', 'oil'; as far south as Yuwaalaraay	Made from burnt threadfin salmon bone.
windbreak			other	wurrl	windbreak	unique
yandy (n)			culture-material			missing

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Ethnographic Information

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Current Population (speakers)	Former Population Estimate	Subsistence Preference	Density	Sedentism	Ecotome	Marriage Pattern	Notes	Source
	large	HG	medium	mobile

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