Pirriya language

Pirriya
Pirriya
Birria
Native to	Australia
Ethnicity	Bidia
Extinct	1969
Language family	Pama–Nyungan (unclassified, ; possibly Karnic) Pirriya; ;
Language codes
ISO 639-3	xpa
Glottolog	pirr1240
AIATSIS	L36
ELP	Pirriya

Pirriya (also Birria, Bidia, Kunggari, Kulumali, and Kungadutji) is an extinct and unclassified Australian Aboriginal language.^[1] It was spoken by the Bidia people (also known as Biria) of the western and central western Queensland, including Barcoo Shire, Whitula Creek, Cooper Creek, and Jundah.^[2]^[3]

It is not to be confused with the Biri language and its dialects, also a Queensland language, spoken by the Biria people.

Classification

Geographically it lay between the Karnic and Maric languages, but had no obvious connection to either; the data is too poor to draw any conclusions on classification.^[4] Dixon (2002)^[5]^: xxxiii classes Pirriya with Kungkari as a subgroup of the Maric languages while Breen (1990) suggests it may be a Karnic language.^[6]^: 64

Phonology

Consonants

	Peripheral		Laminal		Apical
	Labial	Velar	Dental	Palatal	Alveolar	Retroflex
Plosive	p	k	t̪	c	t/d	ʈ
Nasal	m	ŋ	n̪	ɲ	n	ɳ
Rhotic					r
Lateral			(l̪)	ʎ	l	ɭ
Approximant	w			j		ɻ

The dental /l̪/ only rarely occurs.

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
High	i iː		u (uː)
Low		a aː

The long /uː/ is considered rare.^[7]

Vocabulary

Some words from the Birria language, as spelt and written by Birria authors include:^[3]

Billar: spear
Binoor: bandicoot
Boorong: rock
Bowra: kangaroo
Burlo moori: good day
Gulburri: emu
Noka: water
Ullatah: moon

References

^ a b L36 Pirriya at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
^ This Wikipedia article incorporates text from Pirriya published by the State Library of Queensland under CC BY licence, accessed on 30 May 2022.
^ a b This Wikipedia article incorporates text from Birria published by the State Library of Queensland under CC BY licence, accessed on 30 May 2022.
^ Bowern, Claire (2001). "Karnic classification revisited". In J Simpson; et al. (eds.). Forty years on. Canberra Pacific Linguistics. pp. 245–260. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021.
^ Dixon, R. M. W. (2002). Australian Languages: their nature and development. Cambridge University Press.
^ Breen, Gavan (1990). Salvage studies of Western Queensland Aboriginal languages (PDF). Pacific Linguistics B-105. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
^ Blake, Barry J.; Breen, Gavan (1990). Pirriya. In Gavan Breen (ed.), Salvage studies of Western Queensland Aboriginal languages: Canberra: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University. pp. 6–21.

External links

Bibliography of Pirriya people and language resources, at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies

This Australian Aboriginal languages-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[AIATSIS-1] L36 Pirriya at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies

[:SLQ125-2] This Wikipedia article incorporates text from Pirriya published by the State Library of Queensland under CC BY licence, accessed on 30 May 2022.

[:SLQ48-3] This Wikipedia article incorporates text from Birria published by the State Library of Queensland under CC BY licence, accessed on 30 May 2022.

[4] Bowern, Claire (2001). "Karnic classification revisited". In J Simpson; et al. (eds.). Forty years on. Canberra Pacific Linguistics. pp. 245–260. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021.

[:dixon2002-5] Dixon, R. M. W. (2002). Australian Languages: their nature and development. Cambridge University Press.

[:breen1990-6] Breen, Gavan (1990). Salvage studies of Western Queensland Aboriginal languages (PDF). Pacific Linguistics B-105. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.

[7] Blake, Barry J.; Breen, Gavan (1990). Pirriya. In Gavan Breen (ed.), Salvage studies of Western Queensland Aboriginal languages: Canberra: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University. pp. 6–21.