The Southern Daly languages are a family of two distantly related Australian aboriginal languages. They are:
Southern Daly Murrinh-patha (Murinbata) Ngan’gityemerri (Ngan’gi)
Classification Southern Daly is a distant and problematic relationship. Murrinh-Patha was once thought to be an isolate, due to lexical data: It has, at most, an 11-percent shared vocabulary with any other language against which it has been compared.Reid, N.J. Ngan’gityemerri. Unpublished PhD thesis, Australian National University, Canberra, 1990. However, Murrinh-patha and Ngan’gityemerri correspond closely in their verbal inflections. Green (2003) makes a case that the formal correspondences in core morphological sequences of their finite verbs are too similar (in their complexities and their irregularities) to have come about through anything other than a shared genetic legacy from a common parent language.Green, I. "The Genetic Status of Murrinh-patha" in Evans, N., ed. "The Non-Pama-Nyungan Languages of Northern Australia: comparative studies of the continent’s most linguistically complex region". Studies in Language Change, 552. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, 2003. Nonetheless, lexically they have almost nothing in common, other than cognates in their words for 'thou' (nhinhi and nyinyi) and 'this' (kanhi and kinyi),Note that Ngan’gityemerri has no nh, and so one would expect it to have ny where its relatives have nh. and it is not clear what could explain this discrepancy.
Vocabulary The following basic vocabulary items are from Tryon (1968).Tryon, Darrell T. "The Daly River Languages: A Survey". In Aguas, E.F. and Tryon, D. editors, Papers in Australian Linguistics No. 3. A-14:21-49. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1968.
{| class="wikitable sortable" ! no. !! gloss !! Tyemeri !! Ngengomeri |- | 1 || head || dæpe || dæpe |- | 2 || hair || wičæ || wuǰa |- | 3 || eyes || dæmoy || damoy |- | 4 || nose || dæši || dæče |- | 5 || ear || dæčære || dæčære |- | 6 || tooth || dædir || dædir |- | 7 || tongue || dæčæn || ŋalŋijiak |- | 8 || shoulder || tamæmbɛr || dada |- | 9 || elbow || mïnmïrpïr || dličiwuwul |- | 10 || hand || dæmæ || dæmæ |- | 11 || breasts || če || čiye |- | 12 || back || dædære || dædære |- | 13 || belly || dægæ || damarde |- | 14 || navel || dæčɛre || dæčɛre |- | 15 || heart || kækulkul || kækulgul |- | 16 || urine || waga || waga |- | 17 || excrete || ŋækïn || nïkïnmœr |- | 18 || thigh || dæbe || dæbe |- | 19 || leg || dagare || dagare |- | 20 || knee || dænïnǰe || dærɛnǰe |- | 21 || foot || dæᵽïr || dæbir |- | 22 || skin || agarᵽure || agaraburo |- | 23 || fat || aleye || adæwe |- | 24 || blood || ᵽæčæn || pučæn |- | 25 || bone || ame || ame |- | 26 || man || yæde || mipuR |- | 27 || woman || ᵽalme || palme |- | 28 || father || ŋača || ŋača |- | 29 || mother || kala || ala |- | 30 || grandmother || mæŋgæ || mæŋgæ |- | 31 || policeman || wamumur || wamɔmɔ |- | 32 || spear || yawul || yawul |- | 33 || woomera || yagama || yagama |- | 34 || boomerang || kuɲuŋuɲ || kuɲuŋuɲ |- | 35 || nullanulla || magulbe || magulbɔ |- | 36 || hair-belt || woyčær || wuǰa |- | 37 || canoe || yænïŋgïǰe || kænægïǰe |- | 38 || axe || bi || bi |- | 39 || dilly bag || waRgaRde || waRguduʔ |- | 40 || fire || yæŋge || yæŋge |- | 41 || smoke || tawan || dawan |- | 42 || water || kure || kurɔ |- | 43 || cloud || wɔ || wɔ |- | 44 || rainbow || aŋemuŋge || aŋamuŋgi |- | 45 || barramundi || ætælmær || awalaŋir |- | 46 || sea || kuruŋgur || kuričæwæ |- | 47 || river || diRpædær || kuripædæR |- | 48 || stone || ᵽæpe || pæpe |- | 49 || ground || ŋičir || ŋičïr |- | 50 || track || mumba || mumba |- | 51 || dust || baᵽun || pabun |- | 52 || sun || mire || mïre |- | 53 || moon || diwin || diwiɳ |- | 54 || star || ŋanimæ || ŋanimær |- | 55 || night || kulče nïmbe || ŋaniŋeye |- | 56 || tomorrow || ŋuɲananïŋge || wadænige |- | 57 || today || dæčaŋe || čawɔrɔ |- | 58 || big || kæRæ || yɛrmïnbade |- | 59 || possum || awuye || awuye |- | 60 || dog || wowo || wowo |- | 61 || tail || akïme || dapuR |- | 62 || meat || kagɔ || kagɔ |- | 63 || snake || æƀæŋgo || abæŋgo |- | 64 || red kangaroo || amače || amače |- | 65 || porcupine || aŋaneƀiɲe || aŋaneƀiɲi |- | 66 || emu || ŋuRp || kɔmɔɛnǰil |- | 67 || crow || awaŋge || awak |- | 68 || goanna || æmængïɲ || mængiɲ |- | 69 || blue tongue lizard || æƀære || æbære |- | 70 || mosquito || aƀuŋe || aƀuŋe |- | 71 || sugar-bag || pïŋgïlǰa || puŋgudluʔ |- | 72 || camp || dædæ || dædær |- | 73 || black || čipma || čipma |- | 74 || white || bwimaŋgare || boymæm |- | 75 || red || ᵽïlᵽïlŋïne || pïlbïlŋïne |- | 76 || one || wokumæ || wuŋguwæ |- | 77 || two || fagare || wagare |- | 78 || when? || æčæ || æčæ |- | 79 || what? || čagane || čagane |- | 80 || who? || kænæ || kænæ |- | 81 || I || ŋaie || ŋaie |- | 82 || you || ɲiɲi || ɲiɲi |- | 83 || he || næm || næm |- | 84 || grass || wurɔ || wuR |- | 85 || vegetable food || meye || miye |- | 86 || tree || yæwɛR || yawuR |- | 87 || leaf || merïŋge || mirïŋge |- | 88 || pandanus || yærïge || yærge |- | 89 || ironwood || mawuɲ || mawuɲ |- | 90 || ripe || mibin || mibin |- | 91 || good || yubɔ || yubɔ |- | 92 || bad || wulæk || wulæk |- | 93 || blind || palakɲim || tarawɔrɔ |- | 94 || deaf || ŋamama || waŋamama |- | 95 || saliva || čarawɔ || čæræwul
See also Daly languages
References