Data collected by AUSTLANG.

Data on the language

Alternatives names : Adynyamathanha, Adnymathanha, Ad’n’amadana,  Anjimatana, Anjiwatana, Archualda, Benbakanjamata, Binbarnja, Gadjnjamada, Jandali, Kanjimata, Keydnjmarda, Mardala, Nimalda, Nuralda, Umbertana, Unyamootha, Wailbi, Wailpi, Waljbi, Wipie, Wajalpi.

Other names or spellings are used for this language. See Austlang website.

Classification: Pama-Nyungan family, Thura-Yura group

Some linguists treat Wailpi as an alternative name for Adnyamathanha, others claim that Wailpi is a separate language/dialect.

The map in Oates & Oates (1970) had Adnjamatana and Wailbi, but these were merged into one as Adnjamatana in Oates (1975).

Area:

Adnyamathanha is an aboriginal language spoken in South Australia (SA), more precisely at Umberatana and Mount Serle; south to Parachilna Gorge only in the Flinders Ranges; east to above Wooltana on range; west to western scarp of ranges (Tindale, 1974).

Number of speakers :

The number of speakers varies depending on censuses: the National Indigenous Languages Survey (Nils) gave an estimate of just over 150 in 2004.

The most recent Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006 Census counted 107.

Vitality & transmission :

Adynyamathanha has been classified level 2 on a scale from 0 to 5 by the National Indigenous Languages Survey (Nils), which consideres the language as “severely endangered”.

Media/Literature/Instruction:

The Education Dept. of South Australia developed a teacher’s guide in 1988.

The Dept. of Education and Children’s Services developed a teaching framework in 2004, and a language learning aid, Learning Adnyamathanha, in 2005.

Sources and bibliography

Schebeck, Bernard. 1974. Texts on the social system of the Atynyamatana people with grammatical notes: Pacific Linguistics D21. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.

McEntee, John and McKenzie, Pearl. 1991. Adna-mat-na English dictionary, ms.

Maps

Austin, Peter. 1981. A grammar of Diyari, South Australia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Amery, Rob. 2000. Warrabarna Kaurna!: reclaiming an Australian language. Lisse, Netherlands: Swets & Zeitlinger.

Hercus, Luise. 1994. A grammar of the Arabana-Wangkangurru language, Lake Eyre Basin, South Australia. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.

Tindale, Norman. 1974. Tribal Boundaries in Aboriginal Australia. Canberra: Division of National Mapping, Department of National Development.

Links

Austlang webpage on Adnyamathanha: http://austlang.aiatsis.gov.au/main.php

Adnyamathanha Ngawarla Yarramalka’s website: http://www.adnyamathanha.com/index.html)

Ethnologue.com webpage: http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=adt