The MalakMalak language, Daly River, Western Arnhem Land

Abstract

This thesis describes the phonology and grammar of MalakMalak, an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by a dwindling number of speakers on the Daly River, Western Arnhem Land, about one hundred miles south-west of Darwin. The Introduction outlines the geographical location and linguistic classification of the language, reviews previous descriptive work and explains the orientation of the present description. Chapter 1 describes the Phonology of MalakMalak in terms of phonemes, syllables, phonological words and phonological phrases. There are fourteen consonant phonemes and five vocalic phonemes. One hundred and three two-consonant and twenty-nine three-consonant clusters have been attested, but no vocalic ones. Diphthongs have been interpreted as [V+glide~\, and a sandhi rule operates to handle vocalic contiquity across word-boundaries within the Verb Complex. There are two types of phonological word according to stress-placement, and there is a variety of phonological phrases defined by intonation pattern. Chapter 2 defines and describes the Word Classes which have been set up for the language. They are: noun3 ad.jectival3 pronounj deictic specifier3 adverb3 particle3 interjection3 verb root3 auxiliary. Chapter 3 describes the morphology of the Auxiliary and the Verb Root3 the Noun and the lexical Adjective3 which together constitute the most productive areas of the grammar. Chapter 4 describes the sentential syntax of MalakMalak, the syntax of the Verb Complex and Verb Complex complementation3 and the syntax of the Noun Phrase. Three MalakMalak texts are included in an appendix with interlinear and free translations.

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