Location:
From east of Port Culver to
White Well, South Australia at the head of the Great Australian Bight; east of Madura
(Brandenstein).
1. Names of the language and different spellings that have been
used:
Bardok
Ikala
Jirkla-mirning
Meening
Mining
Minninng
Mirningj
(Brandenstein)
Mirniny (O'Grady)
Ngandatha (Tindale)
Wanbiri
Wanmaraing
Warnabirri
Wonunda
Yerkla mining
Yirkla
2.
Classification of the language:
O'Grady, Voegelin and Voegelin (1966):
Mirning
Identification codes:AIATSIS:A.09
Capell (1963):A.22
Oates
(1975):55.1a
3. Dialects of the language:
O'Grady, Voegelin and Voegelin
(1966) consider Karlaku and Mirning to be the same language, referred to as West and East Mirning. Tindale
links a western dialect of Mirning with Ngatjumaya.
4. Number and distribution of
speakers:
Yalata, Koonibba (Capell): only a few people still speak Mirning.
O'Grady,
Voegelin and Voegelin (1966:134): '10 speakers over an area of a million square miles (as far dispersed as
Carnarvon and South Australia)'.
Maureen Young, a descendant of Mirning and Ngatjumaya speakers
says (p.c.) that there are no more speakers of Mirning.
5. People who have worked
intensively to record the language:
No one
6. Practical spelling
system:
None in use (the Western Desert orthography would be suitable)
7.
Word lists:
Douglas (n.d.a) has collected a word list from a pastoralist at Meekatharra who
moved from Eucla and took Aboriginal labourers with him.
Brandenstein (1970f)
Hercus
(1966)
O'Grady (1959)
Williams (1886a, 1886b)
8.
Texts:
None
9. Grammar or sketch grammar:
No grammar
has been written, but Brandenstein has some information.
10. Language
programmes:
None
11. Language learning
material:
None
12. Literature in the
language:
None
13. Material available:
(see section 5
(Bibliography) for annotations on the following works)
Austin, P. (1983b) Southern Pilbara fieldnotes - Notebook 8.
Austin, P. (1984c) Southern Pilbara
fieldnotes - Notebook 9.
Bates, D.M.
(1913a) 'Aboriginal names of places', pp.73-76 in Science of Man, Vol.14,
no.4.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.2) Food,
typescript copy of MS, Section 8, ANL-MS365-27/2-144.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.14) [Letter to Professor Fitzherbert], MS,
ANL-MS365-87/305-401.
Bates, D.M.
(n.d.15) [Letter to Professor Fitzherbert], MS, ANL-MS365-87/402-425.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.48) Native vocabularies
- Eucla Magisterial District, typescript copy of MS, Section 12, 2A, ANL-MS365-39/34-47.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.49) Native vocabularies
- Eucla Magisterial District, typescript copy of MS, Section 12, 2A, ANL-MS365-39/50-120.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.50) Native vocabularies
- Eucla Magisterial District, typescript copy of MS, Section 12, 2A, ANL-MS365-39/213-215.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.51) Native vocabularies
- Eucla, MS, Section 12, 2A, ANL-MS365-39/293-298.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.52) Native vocabularies - Eyre Magisterial District,
typescript copy of MS, Section 12, 2A, ANL-MS365-39/163-188.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.53) Native vocabularies - Eyre's Sandpatch, MS,
Section 12, 2A, ANL-MS365-39/299-303.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.55) Native vocabularies - Fraser Range, MS, Section
12, 2A, ANL-MS365-39/289-292.
Bates,
D.M. (n.d.71) Native vocabularies - Miscellaneous, typescript copy of MS, Section 12, 2A,
ANL-MS365-39/216-229.
Bates, D.M.
(n.d.123) Native vocabularies - Wongalabila (native name), typescript copy of MS, Section
12, 2A, ANL-MS365-39/123-160.
Bates,
D.M. (n.d.133) Social organisation - Eucla district, typescript copy of MS, Section 3,
ANL-MS365-12/155-175.
Bates, D.M.
(n.d.136) Social organisation - Relationship terms, typescript copy of MS, Section 3,
ANL-MS365-14/2-111.
Bates, D.M.
(n.d.146) Songs, dances, etc. - Series of ceremonies, Eucla District natives, typescript copy
of MS, Section 11, ANL-MS365-35/2-104.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.153) Tribal organisation and geographical distribution;
Tribes of South-West Australia, typescript copy of MS, Section 2, ANL-MS365-3/2-65.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.154) Waterholes of
Eucla and Central area, typescript copy of MS, Section 2, ANL-MS365-4/2-31.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.156) Weapons, arts,
crafts - Stone implements, etc., typescript copy of MS, Section 9, ANL-MS365-31/126-190.
Brandenstein, C. G. von (1969c)
Linguistic routine report, December 1969.
Brandenstein, C.G. von (1969g) The diaries of C.G. von Brandenstein,
1964-1969, MS.
Brandenstein, C.G.
von (1970c) List of 124 Mirning words, MS.
Brandenstein, C. G. von (1970f) Report [to AIAS] on fieldwork
conducted July- August 1970 as part of the 1969-70 project Western Desert Fringe study.
Brandenstein, C. G. von (1971b)
Report to the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies on fieldwork conducted
September-December 1970 as part of the 1969-70 project Western Desert Fringe study, Nedlands,
WA.
Brandenstein, C.G. von
(1982a) Eighty-eight grammar text sheets, exemplifying grammatical, lexical and
phraseological diversities as well as links of 25 Aboriginal languages from Western Australia, ts.
Condon, H.T. (1955) 'Aboriginal bird
names - South Australia', pts 1 and 2, pp.74-88 in South Australian Ornithologist,.Vol.21,
nos.6-7; pp.91-98, Vol.21, no.8.
Douglas, W.H.
(n.d.a) [Mirning word list].
Elder Scientific Exploring Expedition (1893) Journal of the Elder
Scientific Expedition, 1891-2, under command of D. Lindsay..., Bristow, Adelaide.
Hercus, L.A. (1966a) Report [to AIAS] on
work on Aboriginal languages - April-June 1966.
Hercus, L.A. (1966b) Work on Aboriginal languages, December
1965-April 1966.
Howitt, A.W. (n.d.a)
Native vocabulary of Eucla, Western Australia, MS.
Howitt, A.W. (n.d.b) [Notes on Eucla (Ikulla) tribe], Bates Papers, Box 9,
folder 1, paper 12.
Lawrence, J. (1945)
Native vocabulary, Eucla Tribe, WA, ts.
Mathew, J. (1899) Eaglehawk and crow, Melville, Mullen
and Slade, Melbourne.
Mathews, R.H.
(1901) 'Some Aboriginal tribes of Western Australia', pp.217-222 in Royal Society
of New South Wales, Journal and Proceedings, Vol.35.
Morphy, F. (1985) Working notes on Western Australian languages. Part
of an ARGS project directed by R.M.W. Dixon.
O'Grady, G.N. (1957-58) Materials on the suffixing languages of
Western Australia, MS.
O'Grady, G.N.
(1959) Significance of the circumcision boundary in Western Australia, BA
thesis, University of Sydney.
O'Grady, G.N. and T.J. Klokeid (1969) 'Australian linguistic
classification: a plea for co-ordination of effort', pp. 298-311 in Oceania, Vol.39,
no.4.
Reclus, E., W. Barak
and G. Taplin (1895) Le primitif d'Australie ou les Non-Non et les Oui-Oui: etude
d'ethnologie comparee, Dayeris, Narrinyeris, Kamilarois, Minnal-Yangas, Yirclas, Yarra-Yarras etc.,
etc. [The primitive Australian or the No Noes and the Yes Yeses : study in comparative
ethnology...], Dentu, Paris.
Reid, N. (1979)
Mirning, MS.
V‡szolyi, E.G.
(1970) Report [to AIAS] on research work in anthropological linguistics during the period 1
June-1 September 1970.
Wells, L.A. (1893)
'Vocabularies of words and phrases with translations', pp.192-207 in Journal of the Elder
Scientific Exploring Expedition, 1891-2.
Williams, W. (1886a) 'Vocabulary no.34, Eyre's Sand Patch: Wonunda
Meening Tribe', pp.394-399 in E.M. Curr, The Australian race, Vol.1.
Williams, W. (1886b) 'Vocabulary no.35,
Eucla: The Yircla Meening Tribe', pp.400-406 in E.M. Curr, The Australian race, Vol.1.
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