4.4.5 KURRAMA
Location: Fortescue valley east of Millstream; south of Fortescue River to south of Rocklea in the east; Wyloo in the west (Oates 1975).
1. Names of the language and different spellings that have been used:
Gurama
Karama
Karima
Kerama
Korama
Korima
Kurama (Tindale)
2. Classification of the language:
O'Grady, Voegelin and Voegelin (1966): Ngayarda
Identification codes:AIATSIS:W36
Capell (1963): W.20
Oates (1975): 50.4a
O'Grady, Voegelin and Voegelin (1966:90) claim that the greatest lexical similarity is with Yindjibarndi. Dench (1990 p.c.) suggests that Kurrama and Yindjibarndi are phonologically, morphologically and syntactically very similar.
3. Dialects of the language:
Dench (1990 p.c.) says there are five named local groups which are recognised as speaking dialects of Kurrama: Yarnarri, Yinyjiwarnti Kurrama, Mijarranypa, Marntartka and Ngamangamara.
4. Present number and distribution of speakers:
Wordick (1977b): less than 50 speakers, at Roebourne, Wittenoom, Onslow.
Dench (1990 p.c.): less than 20 speakers at Roebourne and Onslow.
5. People who have worked intensively to record the language:
Capell says O'Grady and Hale have sufficient for a grammatical study.
Dench has collected sentences and texts in Kurrama.
6. Practical spelling system:
None, but the Yindjibarndi system may be used.
7. Word lists:
Davidson (1932)
Dench (1990)
O'Grady (1959)
8. Texts:
Dench (1990)
9. Grammar or sketch grammar:
None, but see Wordick's (1982) grammar of Yindjibarndi, which is very closely related to Kurrama.
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)
Brandenstein, C.G. von (1968b) Interim report, 1968, no.1 (July-August).
Brandenstein, C.G. von (1968d) Linguistic routine report, October 1968.
Brandenstein, C.G. von (1969g) The diaries of C.G. von Brandenstein, 1964-1969, MS.
Brandenstein, C.G. von (1975) Pilbara Aboriginal vocabulary, ts.
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.
Davidson, D.S.(1932) Comparative vocabularies of 19 Western Australian languages, ts.
Dench, A.C. (1987b) 'Kinship and collective activity in the Ngayarda languages of Australia', pp.321-339 in Language in Society, Vol.16.
Dench, A.C. (1987a) A grammar of Martuthunira, PhD thesis, ANU.
Dench, A.C. (1990) [Word list, text and fieldnotes in Kurrama], MS.
Hale, K.L. (1959a) Gurama fieldnotes, MS.
Hale, K.L. (1960) Fieldnotes, MS.
Hale, K.L. (n.d.b) Language elicitation (audiotapes).
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.(1960a) Fieldnotes, MS.
O'Grady, G.N. (1966) 'Proto-Ngayarda phonology', pp.71-130 in Oceanic Linguistics, no.5.
O'Grady, G.N., C.F. Voegelin and F.M. Voegelin (1966) 'Languages of the world: Indo-Pacific fascicle 6', pp.1-197 in Anthropological Linguistics, Vol.8, no.2.
Palmer, K. (1977a) 'Aboriginal sites and the Fortescue River, north-west of Western Australia', pp.226 -233 in Archaeology and Physical Anthropology in Oceania, Vol.12, no.3.
Palmer, K. (1977b) 'Myth, ritual and rock art', pp.38-49 in Archaeology and Physical Anthropology in Oceania, Vol.12, no.1.
Tindale, N.B. (1953a) Recordings at the North-West of Australia (wax cylinder).
Wordick, F.J.F. (1982) The Yindjibarndi language, Pacific Linguistics, C-71, Canberra.
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