Light Warlpiri
Encyclopedia
Light Warlpiri is a mixed language
of Australia
, with indigenous Warlpiri
, Kriol
~Australian Aboriginal English
(AAE), and Standard Australian English (SAE) as its source languages. First documented by linguist Carmel O'Shannessy of the University of Michigan
, it is spoken in the Lajamanu
community by adults under the age of approximately 35 and by children as their first language (although all children eventually also gain fluency in Warlpiri and English).
Like other mixed languages, such as Michif and Mednyj Aleut
, Light Warlpiri takes its nominal and verbal systems from different source languages. Most nouns are from Warlpiri or SAE, and take Warlpiri case-marking; but, most verbs and the verbal inflection/auxiliary structure is both borrowed and significantly reanalyzed from Kriol/AAE.
Light Warlpiri appears to have originated in the 1980s as a codification and expansion of the Warlpiri/English codeswitching patterns seen in members of the community over age 35. Within the community, it is perceived as a form of Warlpiri, although it is not always comprehensible to older speakers. Light Warlpiri was first systematically described by linguist Carmel O'Shannessy in 2005. Her research into codeswitching and Light Warlpiri is ongoing.
Mixed language
A mixed language is a language that arises through the fusion of two source languages, normally in situations of thorough bilingualism, so that it is not possible to classify the resulting language as belonging to either of the language families that were its source...
of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, with indigenous Warlpiri
Warlpiri language
The Warlpiri language is spoken by about 3000 of the Warlpiri people in Australia's Northern Territory. It is one of the Ngarrkic languages of the large Southwest branch of the Pama–Nyungan family, and is one of the largest aboriginal languages in Australia in terms of number of speakers.-...
, Kriol
Australian Kriol language
Kriol is an Australian creole language that developed initially in the region of Sydney and Newcastle in New South Wales in the early days of White colonisation, and then moved west and north with White and Black stockmen and others...
~Australian Aboriginal English
Australian Aboriginal English
Australian Aboriginal English is the name given to a dialect of Australian English used by a large section of the Indigenous Australian population. It is made up of a number of varieties which developed differently in different parts of Australia...
(AAE), and Standard Australian English (SAE) as its source languages. First documented by linguist Carmel O'Shannessy of the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, it is spoken in the Lajamanu
Lajamanu, Northern Territory
Lajamanu is a small town of the Northern Territory in Australia. It has a population of 669 , of which a significant amount are of Aboriginal origin...
community by adults under the age of approximately 35 and by children as their first language (although all children eventually also gain fluency in Warlpiri and English).
Like other mixed languages, such as Michif and Mednyj Aleut
Mednyj Aleut
Mednyj Aleut is a nearly extinct mixed language spoken on Bering Island. It is characterized by Aleut nouns and Russian verbs, each with the full inflectional complexity of the source languages...
, Light Warlpiri takes its nominal and verbal systems from different source languages. Most nouns are from Warlpiri or SAE, and take Warlpiri case-marking; but, most verbs and the verbal inflection/auxiliary structure is both borrowed and significantly reanalyzed from Kriol/AAE.
Light Warlpiri appears to have originated in the 1980s as a codification and expansion of the Warlpiri/English codeswitching patterns seen in members of the community over age 35. Within the community, it is perceived as a form of Warlpiri, although it is not always comprehensible to older speakers. Light Warlpiri was first systematically described by linguist Carmel O'Shannessy in 2005. Her research into codeswitching and Light Warlpiri is ongoing.