The Nyulnyulan languages are a small family of closely related Australian Aboriginal languages spoken in northern Western Australia. Most languages in this family are extinct, with only three extant languages, all of which are almost extinct.
Internal classification The languages form two branches established on the basis of lexical and morphological innovation.Bowern, Clair. 2004. Bardi Verb Morphology in Historical Perspective. PhD, Harvard University.
Nyulnyulan Western or Nyulnyulic: Nyulnyul Bardi Jawi Djabirr-Djabirr Nimanburru Eastern or Dyukun: Yawuru Dyugun Warrwa Nyigina Ngumbarl
Vocabulary Capell (1940) lists the following basic vocabulary items for the Nyulnyulan languages:Capell, Arthur. 1940. The Classification of Languages in North and North-West Australia. Oceania 10(3): 241-272, 404-433.
{| class="wikitable sortable" ! gloss ! Bardi !! Njulnjul !! Jauor !! Njigina !! Warrwa |- ! man
! woman
! head
! eye
! nose | || || ? || || |- ! mouth
! tongue
! stomach
! bone
! blood
! kangaroo | || , || || || |- ! opossum
! emu
! crow
! fly
! sun
! moon | || || || , || , |- ! fire
! smoke
! water | , || , || || ||
Lexical isoglosses Some lexical isoglosses between Proto-Western Nyulnyulan and Proto-Eastern Nyulnyulan:
{| class="wikitable sortable" ! gloss !! Proto-Western Nyulnyulan !! Proto-Eastern Nyulnyulan |- | rotten || || |- | leaf || || |- | bush country || || |- | kangaroo || || |- | tree, stick || || |- | arrive, come || || |- | yes || || |- | later, soon || || |- | egg || || |- | good || || |- | nose || || |- | seek || || |- | knowledgeable || || |- | small || || |- | mud || || ~ |- | sister || || |- | forehead || || |- | thigh || || |- | tail || || |- | woman || ||
Proto-languages Proto-Nyulnyulan
The following reconstruction of Proto-Nyulnyulan is from Stokes and McGregor (2003):Stokes, Bronwyn and William McGregor. 2003. Classification and Subclassification of the Nyulnyulan Languages. In Nicholas Evans (ed.), The non-Pama-Nyungan languages of northern Australia: comparative studies of the continent's most linguistically complex region, 29-74. Canberra: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University. Abbreviations WNN: Western Nyulnyulan ENN: Eastern Nyulnyulan
{| class="wikitable sortable" ! no. !! gloss !! Proto-Nyulnyulan |- | 1. || and || |- | 2. || head || |- | 3. || child || |- | 4. || scorpion || |- | 5. || deaf (ENN forget) || |- | 6. || brother (older) (B+) || |- | 7. || paperbark coolamon || |- | 8. || when || |- | 9. || feather (ENN bird) || |- | 10. || carpet snake || |- | 11. || smell || |- | 12. || poison for stunning fish || |- | 13. || east || |- | 14. || full up || |- | 15. || cover over, extinguish || * |- | 16. || goanna || |- | 17. || exchange, reflexive/reciprocal IV || |- | 18. || think || |- | 19. || wallaby || |- | 20. || cold season, winter || |- | 21. || turkey, bustard || |- | 22. || catfish || |- | 23. || behind || |- | 24. || shade || |- | 25. || twinkle, twitch || |- | 26. || aggressive, wild, angry, fight || |- | 27. || soul, spirit || |- | 28. || butterfly, moth || |- | 29. || long pearlshell pendant || |- | 30. || bark coolamon || |- | 31. || spring || |- | 32. || hit, kill || |- | 33. || flower || |- | 34. || nape of neck || |- | 35. || dream, dreamtime || |- | 36. || middle, in between, on the way || |- | 37. || tired, exhausted || |- | 38. || bite || |- | 39. || shit, excrement || |- | 40. || dance || |- | 41. || string || |- | 42. || camp, place, country || |- | 43. || blow || |- | 44. || ant species || |- | 45. || hammer || |- | 46. || deaf || |- | 47. || chin, lower jaw || |- | 48. || turn || |- | 49. || kidney || |- | 50. || fly || |- | 51. || drink || |- | 52. || ask || |- | 53. || see || |- | 54. || pelican || |- | 55. || fall || |- | 56. || magic power, healing potential || |- | 57. || doctor (medicine man) || |- | 58. || cousin || |- | 59. || mother’s father (MF) || |- | 60. || axe || |- | 61. || wife’s father (WF) || |- | 62. || where || |- | 63. || tread, step, trample || |- | 64. || calf || |- | 65. || break || |- | 66. || split || |- | 67. || harmonic generation || |- | 68. || lift up, carry || |- | 69. || tooth || |- | 70. || say, do || |- | 71. || downwards || |- | 72. || boomerang || |- | 73. || down, below, inside || |- | 74. || spear type || |- | 75. || shooting star || |- | 76. || sing || |- | 77. || corpse || |- | 78. || tell || |- | 79. || fire || |- | 80. || suck || |- | 81. || run || |- | 82. || downwards || |- | 83. || snake || |- | 84. || pour out || |- | 85. || carry || |- | 86. || bone || |- | 87. || father’s mother || |- | 88. || liver (ENN, except Jk guts) || |- | 89. || ashes (cold) || |- | 90. || lose, drop || |- | 91. || up, above || |- | 92. || already, finished || |- | 93. || father’s father (FF) || |- | 94. || mother’s mother (MM) || |- | 95. || murderer, ritual killer || |- | 96. || become fat/well nourished || |- | 97. || laugh || |- | 98. || spit, saliva || |- | 99. || enter, go in || |- | 100. || clapsticks || |- | 101. || kangaroo species, large || |- | 102. || shield || |- | 103. || call out || |- | 104. || choke, strangle || |- | 105. || this, he, she, it || |- | 106. || brolga || |- | 107. || two || |- | 108. || west || |- | 109. || frill-necked lizard || |- | 110. || sleep || |- | 111. || yellow || |- | 112. || blood || |- | 113. || carry on shoulder, shoulder || |- | 114. || brain, spinal marrow || |- | 115. || saltwater turtle || |- | 116. || dingo || |- | 117. || sky || |- | 118. || blood || |- | 119. || pearlshell || |- | 120. || ear || |- | 121. || climb || |- | 122. || hear || |- | 123. || dry || |- | 124. || ear passage || |- | 125. || throat, neck || |- | 126. || know, understand, recognise || |- | 127. || possum || |- | 128. || steal, abduct || |- | 129. || fat, grease || |- | 130. || sour taste || |- | 131. || sour taste || |- | 132. || saltwater crocodile || |- | 133. || mouth || |- | 134. || heart, emotion || |- | 135. || blue-tongue lizard || |- | 136. || bum || |- | 137. || put || |- | 138. || afternoon || |- | 139. || path, road || |- | 140. || bag, coolamon || |- | 141. || nose || |- | 142. || shadow, reflected image || |- | 143. || bustard, scrub turkey || |- | 144. || throat || |- | 145. || arm, hand || |- | 146. || hungry || |- | 147. || bum || |- | 148. || shadow, reflection || |- | 149. || head || |- | 150. || vegetable food || |- | 151. || armpit || |- | 152. || foot || |- | 153. || male of species || |- | 154. || shin, knee || |- | 155. || lie, untruth || |- | 156. || be sitting down || |- | 157. || arise, get up, wake up || |- | 158. || stick implement || |- | 159. || ankle, joint || |- | 160. || grandparent/grandchild (diminutive) || |- | 161. || eye || |- | 162. || only || |- | 163. || club, nulla nulla || |- | 164. || devil, bad spirit || |- | 165. || woomera || |- | 166. || spongy, hollow || |- | 167. || cry || |- | 168. || breast || |- | 169. || language, speech, speak || |- | 170. || interrogative particle || |- | 171. || leave || |- | 172. || night? || |- | 173. || belly || |- | 174. || alone, by oneself || |- | 175. || throw || |- | 176. || beard (WNN feelers of catfish) || |- | 177. || ashes || |- | 178. || piss, urine || |- | 179. || night || |- | 180. || be, sit || ~ |- | 181. || sandhill || |- | 182. || flying fox || |- | 183. || true, really || |- | 184. || tasty, sweet || |- | 185. || corroboree, song || |- | 186. || hot, sweat || |- | 187. || alive || |- | 188. || fire, (hot) coals || |- | 189. || get, catch, pick up || |- | 190. || pierce, spear || |- | 191. || parent-in-law (male) (WF?, HF) || |- | 192. || parent-in-law (female) (WM, HM) || |- | 193. || pubic covering for initiated man || |- | 194. || charcoal || |- | 195. || eat || |- | 196. || exchange, return, in turn, barter || |- | 197. || anus || |- | 198. || suddenly, unexpectedly || |- | 199. || frog type || |- | 200. || sun || |- | 201. || man || |- | 202. || coolamon type || |- | 203. || wind || |- | 204. || young man || |- | 205. || spider, spiders web, net || |- | 206. || wattle type || |- | 207. || crow || |- | 208. || other || |- | 209. || one || |- | 210. || north || |- | 211. || meat || |- | 212. || rag, cloth || |- | 213. || rib || |- | 214. || emu || |- | 215. || louse || |- | 216. || taste, try || |- | 217. || give || |- | 218. || water || |- | 219. || joke, fun || |- | 220. || crawl || |- | 221. || husband (H, HB) || |- | 222. || ahead, front, first || |- | 223. || standing || |- | 224. || south (WNN south wind) || |- | 225. || lick || |- | 226. || tongue || |- | 227. || who, what || |- | 228. || woomera || |- | 229. || no, not || |- | 230. || father (F, FB) || |- | 231. || sickness || |- | 232. || dog || |- | 233. || disharmonic generation || |- | 234. || wattle type (used for spears) || |- | 235. || tree type (boomerang) || |- | 236. || descend, sink, go down ||
Proto-Western Nyulnyulan The following reconstruction of Proto-Western Nyulnyulan is from Stokes and McGregor (2003):
{| class="wikitable sortable" ! no. !! gloss !! Proto-Western Nyulnyulan |- | 237. || bad, sick, trouble || |- | 238. || no, not || |- | 239. || open || |- | 240. || belt, girdle || |- | 241. || blind || |- | 242. || now, today, when || |- | 243. || groin || |- | 244. || praise || |- | 245. || finish || |- | 246. || stick, tree || |- | 247. || skin, bark (of tree) || |- | 248. || king brown snake || |- | 249. || tie || |- | 250. || yesterday || |- | 251. || rotten || |- | 252. || strong, firm, fearless || |- | 253. || leaf || |- | 254. || bush country || |- | 255. || bad luck || |- | 256. || cold || |- | 257. || long || |- | 258. || mother (M, MZ) || |- | 259. || blunt || |- | 260. || swell up || |- | 261. || kangaroo (generic) || |- | 262. || arrive, emerge, come || |- | 263. || true || |- | 264. || hard (not soft) || |- | 265. || wipe || |- | 266. || three || |- | 267. || yes || |- | 268. || return || |- | 269. || fear || |- | 270. || go || |- | 271. || touch || |- | 272. || die || |- | 273. || arms akimbo || |- | 274. || downwards || |- | 275. || stand up, come to a stand || |- | 276. || wash || |- | 277. || back || |- | 278. || wander about, roam || |- | 279. || approach, come up to || |- | 280. || fire drill || |- | 281. || scratch || |- | 282. || vomit || |- | 283. || yam type || |- | 284. || body || |- | 285. || bird || |- | 286. || sharp || |- | 287. || later, soon || |- | 288. || scent, smell || |- | 289. || appearance, shape, form || |- | 290. || wet (of object) || |- | 291. || father || |- | 292. || squeeze || |- | 293. || wedge || |- | 294. || throat || |- | 295. || feather || |- | 296. || light (not heavy) || |- | 297. || egg || |- | 298. || sit down || |- | 299. || good || |- | 300. || black || |- | 301. || far || |- | 302. || wife || |- | 303. || many || |- | 304. || leave || |- | 305. || wave (hand) || |- | 306. || sister (Z) || |- | 307. || goanna || |- | 308. || search, look for || |- | 309. || native rat || |- | 310. || sing || |- | 311. || tired || |- | 312. || choke (on something) || |- | 313. || warm, hot (of weather) || |- | 314. || head hair || |- | 315. || knowledge, knowledgeable || |- | 316. || root || |- | 317. || honey || |- | 318. || pour, spill out, flow || |- | 319. || smell || |- | 320. || small || |- | 321. || soil, make dirty, become dirty || |- | 322. || defend, take sides with || |- | 323. || deny, refuse || |- | 324. || mud || |- | 325. || neck (exterior) || |- | 326. || soft || |- | 327. || dirty || |- | 328. || knee || |- | 329. || forehead || |- | 330. || thigh || |- | 331. || old man || |- | 332. || dry || |-