4.5.4 NYAMAL
Location: Upper Shaw and Coongan Rivers, Marble Bar, Nullagine, Hillside, Bamboo Creek and Warrawoona.
1. Names of the language and different spellings that have been used:
Gnamo
Namal
Name
Njamal (Tindale)
Nyamarl
Nyamel
Witukari (Tindale)
2. Classification of the language:
O'Grady, Voegelin and Voegelin (1966): Ngayarda
Identification codes: AIATSIS:A58 (Witukari A.60)
Capell (1963):A.29 (Witukari A39)
Oates (1975):50A.1a (Witukari 50A.1b)
3. Dialects of the language:
Brandenstein (1973a) says that Witukari (Wirtakarri) is 'light' Nyamal. He reports that the southernmost dialect is Yu'una, with the southern border around Woodstock, Hillside, Nullagine.
Tindale includes Witukari as eastern Nyamal.
Sandy Brown says there are three main dialects, 'Coastal Nyamal' (west and south of Ngarla, along the De Grey and lower Shaw Rivers), 'Inland Nyamal' (Marble Bar and west of Marble Bar), and 'Witukari Nyamal' (east of Marble Bar) (Geytenbeek 1988 p.c. ).
Geytenbeek (p.c.) says that Witukari is a term used by speakers of local languages to refer to 'easterners' of three languages - there are Witukari Nyamal, Witukari Nyiyapali and Witukari Palyku.
4. Present number and distribution of speakers:
Geytenbeek (1988 p.c.) says Brian and Helen Geytenbeek's survey of 1972-73 found less than 80 Nyamal speakers at Marble Bar, Nullagine Hedland and Yandeyarra.
5. People who have worked intensively to record the language:
No one
6. Practical spelling system:
None, but the same system that is used for Nyangumarta can be used (with the addition of the interdental series, /lh, nh, th/).
7. Word lists:
Davidson (1932)
Geytenbeek and Geytenbeek (1973)
Holmes (1960)
Klokeid (1968)
O'Grady (1959)
Oakes (n.d.)
8. Texts:
Brandenstein (1982a)
9. Grammar or sketch grammar:
O'Grady and Klokeid (1969) say that Klokeid is preparing a sketch grammar of Nyamal.
10. Language programmes:
None
11. Language learning material:
None
12. Literature in the language:
Wangka Maya (Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre) (1989-90)
13. Material available:
(see section 5 (Bibliography) for annotations on the following works)
Barlee, F. (1886) 'Vocabulary no.9, The Shaw River: the Weedookarry tribe' pp.294-295 in E.M. Curr, The Australian race, Vol.1.
Bates, D.M. (1901) From Port Hedland to Carnarvon by buggy, pp.183-202 in Western Australia. Department of Agriculture Journal, Sept. 1901.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.12) Initiation - Miscellaneous, typescript copy of MS. Section 4: 4d, ANL-MS365-16/181-190.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.19) Myths and legends - Nyamel district, typescript copy of MS, Section 7, ANL-MS365-26/267-276.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.73) Native vocabularies - Miscellaneous, typescript copy of MS, Section 12, 2D, ANL-MS365-50/47-99.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.97) Native vocabularies - Pilbara Magisterial District, typescript copy of MS, Section 12, 2D, ANL-MS365-51/35-46.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.106) Native vocabularies - Roebourne, Gascoyne, Ashburton, De Grey, ts Section 12, 2D, ANL - MS 365 Box 48-51.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.129) Outline of grammar [2] - Pronouns, typescript copy of MS, Section 12, 1, ANL-MS365-37/43-97.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.130) Outline of grammar [3] - Verbs, typescript copy of MS, Section 12, 1, ANL-MS365-37/98-141.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.135) Social organisation - Relationship terms, typescript copy of MS, Section 3, ANL-MS365-14/114-187.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.149) Totemism - Miscellaneous (early notes), typescript copy of MS, Section 5, ANL-MS365-20/58-77.
Brandenstein, C.G. von (1965b) General report on linguistic fieldwork, ts
Brandenstein, C.G. von (1965d) Interim report (3) [to AIAS] on fieldwork in north-west Western Australia, 15 August-15 September 1965.
Brandenstein, C.G. von (1965e) Interim report (4) [to AIAS] on fieldwork in north-west Western Australia, 15 August-15 September 1965.
Brandenstein, C.G. von (1967a) Interim report, 17 July-10 October 1967.
Brandenstein, C.G. von (1967c) 'The language situation in the Pilbara - past and present', pp.1-20 in Papers in Australian Linguistics No.2, Pacific Linguistics, A-11, Canberra.
Brandenstein, C.G. von (1968c) Interim report, 1968, no.2 (September-December).
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 (1972e) 'The symbolism of the north-western Australian zigzag design', pp.223-238 in Oceania, Vol.42, no.3.
Brandenstein, C.G. von (1973a) AIAS questionnaire, MS.
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.
Brandenstein, C.G. von (n.d.c) List of audiotaped material, ts.
Brandenstein, C.G. von (n.d.e) [Unpublished material].
Brown, A. ('Sandy') and B.B. Geytenbeek, (1984-88) [Ngarla fieldnotes], ts.
Davidson, D.S. (1932) Comparative vocabularies of 19 Western Australian languages, ts.
Dench, A.C. (1980) Fieldnotes on Western Australian languages taken at Onslow, WA, MS.
Dench, A.C. (1983a) Pilbara pronoun reconstructions, ts.
Dench, A.C. (1985d) Pilbara demonstrative reconstructions, ts.
Dench, A.C. (1989) [Letter to Sally Morgan].
Epeling, P.J. (1961) 'A note on Njamal kin-term usage', pp.152-159 in Man, Vol.61.
Fink, R.A. (1960a) The changing status and cultural identity of Western Australian Aborigines: a field study of Aborigines in the Murchison district, Western Australia, 1955-1957, PhD thesis, Columbia University.
Geytenbeek, B.B. and H. Geytenbeek (1973) [Nyangumarda, Nyamal and Nyiyapali word lists] Marble Bar and Twelve Mile Reserve, WA, 4 pts, MS.
Geytenbeek, B.B., H. Geytenbeek and J. Marsh (1971) Report on the survey of languages in the Port Hedland area, Summer Institute of Linguistics, [Darwin].
Holmes, S. (1960) Nyamal lexical test list and sentences (audiotape).
Klokeid, T.J. (1967b) [Songs recorded at Marble Bar].
Klokeid, T.J. (1968) Nyamal vocabulary list, MS.
Klokeid, T.J. (1978) 'Nominal inflection in Pama-Nyungan: a case-study in relational grammar', pp. 577-615 in W.Abraham, (ed.) Valence, semantic case and grammatical relations, John Benjamins, Amsterdam.
Miidhu and C.G. von Brandenstein (1986) 'War dance' [occasional song, Pilbara region], translated by C.G. von Brandenstein, pp.237-238 in L.A. Murray, (ed.) The new Oxford book of Australian verse, Oxford University Press, Melbourne.
O'Grady, G.N. (1958) [Audiotape recordings from Onslow, Carnarvon, De Grey River area] ( audiotape ).
O'Grady, G.N. (1959) Significance of the circumcision boundary in Western Australia, BA thesis, University of Sydney.
O'Grady, G.N. (1961) Transcript of audiotapes in Ngulipartu, ts.
O'Grady, G.N. (1966) 'Proto-Ngayarda phonology', pp.71-130 in Oceanic Linguistics, no.5.
O'Grady, G.N. (1967e) Nyamal and Yulparidja [Transcripts of audiotapes], ts.
O'Grady, G.N. (1967g) Nyangumarda, Ngarla, Nyamal, Warnman [Transcripts of audiotapes], ts.
O'Grady, G.N. (1968) Notes, MS.
O'Grady, G.N. (n.d.f) Songs (audiotape).
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.
O'Grady, G.N. and A. O'Grady (1964) Songs of Aboriginal Australia and Torres Strait, Indiana University - Archives of Folk and Primitive Music, Ethnomusicological Series.
Oakes, D. (n.d.) Nyamal lexical test list, ts.
Palmer, K. (1977b) 'Myth, ritual and rock art', pp.38-49 in Archaeology and Physical Anthropology in Oceania, Vol.12, no.1.
Palmer, K. (1977d) Tradition, change and culture contact: Aboriginal oral traditions from the north-west of Western Australia, ts.
Pudjipangu and C.G. von Brandenstein (1986) 'Aeroplane' [occasional song], translated by C.G. von Brandenstein, p.238 in L.A. Murray, (ed.) The new Oxford book of Australian verse, Oxford University Press, Melbourne.
Radcliffe-Brown, A.R. (n.d.) North-west division short vocabulary, ts.
Wangka Maya (Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre) (1989-90) Aboriginal languages of the Pilbara [Banyjima, Kariyarra, Manjiljarra, Ngarla, Ngarluma, Nyamal, Nyangumarta, Yindjibarndi], Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre, Port Hedland.
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