Lamalama language

Lamalama
Mbarrumbathama, Mba Rumbathama
Native toAustralia
RegionQueensland
EthnicityLamalama
Native speakers
3 (2016 census)
Language codes
ISO 639-3lby
Glottologlamu1254
AIATSISY136
ELPLamalama

The Lamalama language, also known by the clan name Mbarrumbathama (Austlang) or Mba Rumbathama, formerly known as Lamu-Lamu or Lama-Lama, is a Paman language of Queensland, Australia. Lamalama is one of four languages once spoken by the Lamalama people, the others being Morrobolam (Umbuygamu), Mbariman-Gudinhma, and Umpithamu.

Naming and language relationships

In January 2019, the ISO database changed its reference name to Lamalama, from Lamu-Lamu. As of August 2020, Glottolog calls it Lamalama, while AIATSIS' Austlang database thesaurus heading is Mbarrumbathama language.

Austlang says, quoting linguist Jean-Cristophe Verstraete (2018), that Lamalama, Rimanggudinhma (Mbariman-Gudhinma) and Morrobolam form a genetic subgroup of Paman known as Lamalamic, "defined by shared innovations in phonology and morphology". Within this subgroup, "Morrobolam and Lamalama form a phonologically innovative branch, while Rumanggudinhma forms a more conservative branch".

Phonology

Consonants

Consonants
Labial Dental Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive voiceless p t̪ t c k ʔ
voiced b d̪ d ɟ
prenasal ᵐb ⁿ̪d̪ ⁿd ᶮɟ ᵑɡ
Nasal m n̪ n ɲ ŋ
Fricative ɸ θ r̝ ɕ h
Lateral l
Rhotic r
Approximant w ɹ j

Vowels

Vowels
Front Central Back
Close i u
Open a
Vowel allophones
Phoneme Allophone Notes
/i/ [ɪ] in unstressed syllables
[ɨ] in stressed syllables
[ʉ], [ɵ] when following labial consonants
/a/ [ɐ] in free variation with [a]
[ə] in unstressed syllables
[æ] when in the context of palatal sounds
[ɛ] realized within the diphthong /ia/
[ɔ] realized within the diphthong /ua/
/u/ [ʊ] in unstressed positions

Lamalama's vowels do not show contrastive length. There are two diphthongs, /ia/ and /ua/. /ia/ can raise to [iɛ], and /ua/ can raise to [uɔ].

Further reading

Notes

  1. ↑ "Census 2016, Language spoken at home by Sex (SA2+)". stat.data.abs.gov.au. ABS. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  2. ↑ Y136 Lamalama at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
  3. ↑ Crump, Des (20 July 2020). "Language of the Week: Week Eight - Lamalama". State Library Of Queensland. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  4. ↑ "lby". ISO 639-3. 25 January 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  5. ↑ "4.2.1 - Lamalama". Glottolog (in Javanese). Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  6. ↑ "Y136: Mbarrumbathama". AIATSIS Collection: AUSTLANG. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  7. ↑ "Y55: Morrobolam". AIATSIS Collection (Austlang). 26 July 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  8. ↑ Verstraete 2019, p. 266.
  9. ↑ Verstraete 2019, p. 273.
  10. 1 2 Verstraete 2019, p. 272.
  11. ↑ Verstraete 2019, p. 275.
  12. ↑ Verstraete 2019, p. 276.
  13. ↑ Verstraete 2019, pp. 277–279.
  14. ↑ Verstraete 2019, pp. 276–277.
  15. ↑ Verstraete 2019, p. 279.
  16. ↑ Verstraete 2019, p. 280-281.
  17. ↑ Verstraete 2019, p. 280.
  18. ↑ Verstraete 2019, p. 281.
  19. ↑ Verstraete 2019, p. 282.

References