Mparntwe Arrernte

Eastern Arrernte

Pama-Nyungan

FamilyPama-Nyungan Speakers~4K (vulnerable) ScriptLatin CountriesAustralia Official inNo (Australia has no official language at federal level; English is the de facto national language) Vitalityvulnerable ISO 639-3aer

Eastern Arrernte (autonymously Mparntwe Arrernte, after the Aboriginal name for Alice Springs) is a Pama-Nyungan language of the Arandic sub-branch, spoken by around 4,000 people in the Alice Springs region of central Australia. The Mparntwe Arrernte people are the traditional owners of Alice Springs, having occupied the MacDonnell Ranges and surrounding country for at least 30,000 years. Linguistically, Eastern Arrernte is famous in linguistic typology for its highly unusual phonology: it has only 14 phonemic consonants but a very complex syllable structure, plus the typologically rare features of pre-stopped nasals and labio-velar consonants. Despite a long history of European contact since 1860s, the Arrernte have maintained strong intergenerational transmission and the language is one of the more vibrant indigenous languages of central Australia.

Where it is spoken

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87 core words in Eastern Arrernte

Water

kwatye

kʷatʲə

Fire

ure

uɾe

Sun

arrenge

arəŋə

Moon

arngwe

aɾŋʷe

Star

kwerralye

kʷəˈraʎə

Night

ingwe

iŋʷə

Rain

kwatye

kʷatʲə

Wind

rlke

ɭkə

Earth

ahelhe

aʔəlʲə

Stone

apwerte

apʷəʈə

Mountain

apwerte akngerre

apʷəʈə akŋərə

Sea

alaye

alajə

Mother

meye

mɛjə

Father

akngeye

akŋɛjə

Daughter

ampe marle

ampə maɭə

I

ayenge

ˈajəŋə

You

unte

ˈuntə

We

anwerne

ˈanwəɳə

Name

arritnye

aˈritɲə

Person

tyerrtye

tʲəɾtʲə

Head

akaperte

akapəʈə

Eye

alknge

alkŋe

Ear

arlpe

aɭpə

Nose

alhe

al̪ə

Mouth

arrakerte

arakəʈə

Tooth

atitye

aticə

Tongue

alenye

aleɲə

Hand

iltye

iltʲe

Foot

ingke

iŋkə

Heart

atyenge

atʲɛŋe

Bone

ngkwerne

ŋkʷəɳə

Blood

alwe

aɭwə

Poop

atne

atnə

Love

mwerre

mʷərə

Tree

arne

aɾne

Dog

atyitye

atʲitʲe

Cat

kele

kələ

Fish

irpenge

iɻpeŋe

Bird

thipe

t̪ipə

Butterfly

intelyapelyape

intəʎapəʎapə

Egg

kwarte

kʷaʈə

Horse

nanthe

nan̪t̪ə

House

ahentye

ahɛntʲe

Milk

werlatye

weɭatʲə

Honey

arwengalkere

arwəŋalkəɾə

Salt

apirnte

apiɳʈə

Wine

ngkwarle

ŋkʷaɭə

Book

pipe

pipə

Eat

arlkenge

aɾlkɛŋe

Drink

altyere

altʲɛɾe

Sleep

ankwe

ankʷə

One

anyente

aɲɛnte

Two

atherre

aˈt̪ərə

Three

urrpetye

uɻpecə

Four

atherramatherre

at̪əramat̪ərə

Hello

werte

wɛɾte

Thank you

unte mwerre

untə mʷərə

Good

mwerre

mʷərə

New

lyetenye

ʎətəɲə

Red

arrempele

aɻempele

White

mperlkere

mpeɭkeɾe

Black

urrperle

uɻpəɭə

Green

atherrke

at̪erke

Blue

atherrke

at̪erke

Sources

Words compared

Compared with languages in the same classification: Pama-Nyungan

Meaning Eastern ArrernteNeapolitanSinhalaAbkhazCatalanAlbanianAdyghe
Water kwatye /kʷatʲə/ acqua /ˈakkwə/ වතුර /ʋatuɾə/ аӡы /adzə/ aigua /ajɣwə/ ujë /ujə/ псы /psə/
Fire ure /uɾe/ fuoco /ˈfwɔkə/ ගින්න /ɡɪnːə/ амца /amtsa/ foc /fɔk/ zjarr /zjar/ машӏо /maːʃʷʼa/
Sun arrenge /arəŋə/ sole /ˈsolə/ ඉර /ɪɾə/ амра /amra/ sol /sɔl/ diell /diɛɫ/ тыгъэ /təʁa/
Moon arngwe /aɾŋʷe/ luna /ˈlunə/ හඳ /haⁿdə/ амза /amza/ lluna /ʎunə/ hënë /hənə/ мазэ /maːza/
Star kwerralye /kʷəˈraʎə/ stella /ˈstellə/ තරුව /taruʋə/ аеҵәа /ajtsʷʼa/ estrella /əsˈtɾeʎə/ yll /yɫ/ жъуагъо /ʐʷaːʁʷa/
Night ingwe /iŋʷə/ notte /ˈnɔttə/ රෑ /ræː/ аҵх /atsʼχ/ nit /nit/ natë /ˈnatə/ чэщы /tʃaˈɕə/
Rain kwatye /kʷatʲə/ chiòve /ˈkjɔːvə/ වැස්ස /ˈʋæsːə/ ақәа /akʷʰa/ pluja /ˈpluʒə/ shi /ʃi/ ощхы /waɕxə/
Wind rlke /ɭkə/ viento /ˈvjendə/ සුළඟ /suɭəᵑɡə/ аԥша /apʂa/ vent /ben/ erë /ˈɛɾə/ жьыбгъэ /ʑəbʁa/
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