| Marrgu | |
|---|---|
| Yaako | |
| Native to | Australia |
| Region | Croker Island, Northern Territory |
| Ethnicity | Yaako |
| Extinct | 20031 |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | mhg |
| Glottolog | marg1251 |
| AIATSIS2 | N45 |
| ELP | Marrgu |
 Marrgu language (purple arrow), among other non-Pama–Nyungan languages (grey) | |
 Closeup | |
Marrgu (Marrku) is an extinct3 Aboriginal language of northern Australia. Additional names include Ajokoot, Croker Island, Raffles Bay, Terrutong (Terutong), Yaako (Jaako, Yako).1
Classification
Marrgu had been assumed to be an Iwaidjan language like its neighbours. However, Evans (2006) has produced evidence that it was a language isolate, with possible connection to the extinct and poorly attested Wurrugu.2
Phonology
Consonant inventory
| Peripheral | Laminal | Apical | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilabial | Velar | Palatal | Dental | Alveolar | Retroflex | |
| Plosive | p | k | c | t̪ | t | ʈ |
| Nasal | m | ŋ | ɲ | n̪ | n | ɳ |
| Approximant | w | ɣ | j | ɻ | ||
| Trill | r | |||||
| Flap | ɽ | |||||
| Lateral | (ʎ) | l | ɭ | |||
| Lateral flap | ɺ ⟨ld⟩ | 𝼈 ⟨rld⟩ | ||||
Vowels
Marrgu has the three-vowel (/a/, /i/, /u/) system typical of Iwaidjan languages (Evans 1998).
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| High | i | u |
| Low | a | |
References
References
- Marrgu at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)
- N45 Marrgu at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
- Christopher Moseley; Alexandre Nicolas (2010). "Atlas of the world's languages in danger". UNESCO. p. 209. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
- Evans, Nicholas (1998). "Iwaidja mutation and its origins". In Anna Siewierska & Jae Jung Song. Case, Typology and Grammar: In honor of Barry J. Blake. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company. pp. 115–149.