# Mirndi languages

The Mirndi or Mindi languages are an Australian language family spoken in the Northern Territory of Australia. The family consists of two sub-groups and an isolate branch: the Yirram languages, and the Ngurlun languages and Jingulu language some 200 km farther to the southeast, separated by the Ngumpin languages. The primary difference between the two sub-groups is that while the Yirram languages are all prefixing like other non-Pama–Nyungan languages, the Ngurlun languages are all suffixing like most Pama–Nyungan languages.
The name of the family is derived from the dual inclusive pronoun ('we', in the sense of 'you and I') which is shared by all the languages in the family in the form of either mind- or mirnd-.

## Classification

The family has been generally accepted after being first established by Neil Chadwick in the early 1980s. The genetic relationship is primarily based upon morphology and not lexical comparison, with the strongest evidence being found among the pronouns. However, "there are very few other systematic similarities in other areas of grammar[, which] throw some doubts on the Mirndi classification, making it less secure than generally accepted." Nonetheless, as of 2008 proto-Mirndi has been reconstructed.
An additional language may be added, Ngaliwurru. However, it is unsure whether it is a language on its own, or merely a dialect of the Jaminjung language. The same is true for Gudanji and Binbinka, although these are generally considered dialects of the Wambaya language. These three dialects are collectively referred to as the McArthur River languages.

## Vocabulary

Due to the close contact been the Yirram languages and the Ngurlun languages, and the Ngumpin languages and other languages as well, many of the cognates that the Yirram and Ngurlun languages share may in fact be loanwords, especially of Ngumpin origin. For instance, while the Barkly language Jingulu only shares 9% of its vocabulary with its Yirram relative, the Ngaliwurru dialect of the Jaminjung language, it shares 28% with the nearby Ngumpin language Mudburra.
The Jingulu language shares 29% and 28% of its vocabulary with the Wambaya language and the Ngarnka language respectively. The Ngarnka language shares 60% of its vocabulary with the Wambaya language, while the Wambaya language shares 69% and 78% with its dialects, Binbinka and Gudanji, respectively. Finally, these two dialects share 88% of their vocabulary.
Capell (1940) lists the following basic vocabulary items:
    gloss NungaliJilngaliDjämindjungNgaliwuru man diːimbuldjumbuldjumbuldjumbul woman njäŋaːruŋŋaruŋmalɛjiŋaruŋ head niimburuguɽunjuŋgulagadjumburu eye mijaŋargindjuwuddjuwaddjuwud nose nijuijadjuwijadjuwijadjuwija mouth nijaradjäradjäradjära tongue niaŋandjilindjalaṉdjalaṉdjalan stomach meuŋugburumagalamagala bone guːdjinbunu, gujuwangujuwangujuwan blood guŋulugarŋanwurinjunguŋulu kangaroo dijaŋarajaŋarajaŋarajaŋara opossum djaŋanaŋurgudidjägulädjidjägulädji emu gumurindji crow duagiragwaŋguɽinwaŋginawaŋgina fly diridjburugunämanämbulgunäma sun njailänwulŋanwulŋanwaŋgu moon dabaraŋaɽabaraŋandjägilinbaɽaŋan fire nujuggujuggujuggujug smoke niulaṉdjuwulaṉdjuwulaṉdjuːlaṉ water gogogogogogogogo

## Proto-language

Proto-Mirndi reconstructions by Harvey (2008):
    no.glossProto-Mirndi 1to hang, to tip*jalalang 2high, up*thangki 3women's song style*jarra(r)ta 4that (not previously mentioned)*jiyi 5mother's father*jaju 6woman's son*juka 7bird (generic)*ju(r)lak 8blind*kamamurri 9daughter's child*kaminyjarr 10cold*karrij 11chickenhawk*karrkany 12bull ant*(kija-)kija 13to tickle*kiji-kiji(k) 14red ochre*kitpu 15shitwood*kulinyjirri 16dove sp.*kuluku(ku) 17sky*kulumarra 18throat, didgeridoo*kulumpung 19urine*kumpu 20firestick*kungkala 21pollen*kuntarri 22flesh*kunyju 23fat*kurij 24bush turkey*kurrkapati 25boomerang*kurrupartu 26club*ku(r)turu 27shield*kuwarri 28fire*kuyVka 29father-in-law*lamparra 30car*langa 31bony*larrkaja 32plant sp.*lawa 33eagle*lirraku 34blue-tongue lizard*lungkura 35to return*lurrpu 36to wave*mamaj 37ear*manka 38plant sp.*manyanyi 39gutta percha tree*manyingila 40butterfly*marli-marli 41old man*marluka 42all right, later*marntaj 43human status term*marntak 44circumcision ritual*marntiwa 45upper leg, thigh, root*mira 46owl*mukmuk 47to be dark*mu(wu)m 48scorpion*muntarla 49string*munungku 50upper arm*murlku 51three*murrkun 52to name*nij 53hand*nungkuru 54female antilopine wallaroo*ngalijirri 55to lick*ngalyak 56to sing*nganya 57bauhinia*ngapilipili 58father's mother*ngapuju 59breast*ngapulu 60to be hot*ngartap 61bird sp.*nyurijman 62to dream*pank(iy)aja 63older brother*papa 64nightjar*parnangka 65young woman*parnmarra 66women's dance*pa(r)ntimi 67moon*partangarra 68baby*partarta 69hot weather*parung(ku) 70cicatrice*pa(r)turu 71scraper*pin(y)mala 72father*pipi 73snake (generic)*pulany 74to bathe*pulukaj(a) 75ashes*puna 76full*punturr/tu 77to finish*purrp 78dreaming*puwarraja 79deep (hole)*tarlukurra 80flame, light*tili/u 81to be tied up*tirrk 82feather*tiya-tiya 83to poke*turrp 84to open*walk 85woomera*wa(r)lmayi 86black-headed python*warlujapi 87strange(r)*warnayaki 88grass (generic)*warnta 89to scratch*warr 90number seven boomerang*warratirla 91freshwater crocodile*warrija 92to be together*warrp 93parrot sp.*wilikpan 94new*yalang 95initiated youth*yapa 96magic song*yarrinti 97young man*yarrulan