Yinwum dialect

Yinwum
Native toAustralia
RegionCape York Peninsula, Queensland
EthnicityYinwum, ?Nyuwathayi
ExtinctBy 1960s[1]
Dialects
  • Njuwadhai?
Language codes
ISO 639-3yxm
Glottologyinw1236
AIATSIS[2]Y29

Yinwum is an extinct Paman language formerly spoken on the Cape York Peninsula of Queensland, Australia, by the Yinwum people. It is unknown when it became extinct.[3] Historically, it underwent some unusual phonological changes that are difficult to classify and understand in phonetic terms.

Phonology

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Consonants

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Consonants of Yinwum[4]
Peripheral Laminal Apical
Bilabial Velar Palatal Dental Alveolar Retroflex
Nasal m ŋ ɲ n
Prenasalised stop ⁿp ⁿk ⁿc ⁿt̪ ⁿt   ⁿtʳ
Plosive p k c t   tʳ
Fricative β ɣ ð
Vibrant r
Approximant w j l ɻ

/ⁿtʳ/ and /tʳ/ are post-trilled consonants (trilled affricates).

Vowels

[edit]
Vowels of Yinwum[4]
Front Back
High i u
Mid e
Low a

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Yinwum at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
  2. ^ Y29 Yinwum at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
  3. ^ Ernst Kausen (2005). "Australische Sprachen". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. ^ a b Kenneth Hale, 1976, Phonological Developments in Particular Northern Paman Languages, pp.12