English Explanatory Dictionary

Pama-Nyungan

English dictionary entry

Meanings

name
  1. A proposed language family encompassing most Australian Aboriginal languages, including Pitjantjatjara and Warlpiri, but excluding those spoken in the northwest.

Pronunciation

/ˌpamə-ˈnjʊŋən/ /ˌpʌməˈnjʊŋən/ /ˌpaməˈnjʊŋən/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Pama-Nyungan.wav

Word forms

Pama-Nyungan

Etymology

From pama (“man, person”) (in several northeast Australian Aboriginal languages) + nyungaa (“man, person”) (in several southwestern Australian Aboriginal languages) + -an. Apparently coined by American linguist Kenneth L. Hale (1934-2001), to show the vast geographical extent of the family.

Derived words

non-Pama-Nyungan Pama-Maric Pama-Nyunganist Proto-Pama-Nyungan
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