# Malak-Malak language

Malak-Malak (also spelt Mullukmulluk, Malagmalag), also known as Ngolak-Wonga (Nguluwongga), is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Mulluk-Mulluk people. Malakmalak is nearly extinct, with children growing up speaking Kriol or English instead. The language is spoken in the Daly River area around Woolianna and Nauiyu. The Kuwema or Tyaraity (Tyeraty) variety is distinct.

## Classification

Malakmalak was formerly classified as an independent member of the Northern Daly languages, but is now considered a language isolate. Along with the "Anson Bay" group of Wagaydy (Patjtjamalh, Wadjiginy, Kandjerramalh) and the unattested Giyug. Green concluded that Wagaydy and Malakmalak were two separate language families. Some later classifications have linked them such as Bowern (2011). However, the Wagaydy people are recent arrivals in the area, and their language may only be similar due to borrowing. AIATSIS and Glottolog both treat Wagaydy as an isolate and Giyug as unclassifiable.
In contemporary usage, "Northern Daly" (e.g. Harvey 2003, Cahir 2006, Nordlinger 2017) most often refers specifically to the group of languages which includes Malakmalak and Tyerraty (also known as Guwema), a variety with which MalakMalak differs significantly in vocabulary (65% according to Tryon's 200 word list), but is very close to morphologically.

## Phonology
### Vowels

| | Front | Central | Back |
| Close | i | ɨ | ɯ / u |
| Mid | ɛ | ɜ | |
| Open | | ɐ | |

### Consonants

| | | Peripheral | Peripheral | Laminal | Apical | Apical |
| | | Bilabial | Velar | Palatal | Alveolar | Retroflex |
| Nasal | Nasal | m | ŋ | ɲ | n | |
| Stop | voiceless | p | k | c | t | |
| Stop | voiced | b | g | | d | |
| Rhotic | Rhotic | | | | ɾ | ɻ |
| Lateral | Lateral | | | ʎ | l | |
| Semivowel | Semivowel | w | w | j | | |
Plosives /p t c k/ may be heard as voiced as [b d ɟ ɡ] when intervocalic.

## Typological classification

MalakMalak, is an ergative-absolutive language with constituent order mainly determined by information structure and prosody, but syntactically free. Marking of core-cases is optional. The language is mostly dependent-marking (1), but also has no marking (2) and head-marking features (3).
Doro-ngayi
name-3SG.F
muyiny
dog
Doro-ngayi muyiny
name-3SG.F dog
"Doro's dog"
meldaty
trip
ada
1SG.EXCL.go.PST
tjung
stick
yintjerrik
small.M
meldaty ada tjung yintjerrik
trip 1SG.EXCL.go.PST stick small.M
"I tripped on the little stick"
ngatj
EMPH
yunu
3SG.M.sit.PST
tjinang
stay.give
pak-ma
sit-CONT
nende
thing/person
wag
water
puyunduk-nana
underneath-LOC
ngatj yunu tjinang pak-ma nende wag puyunduk-nana
EMPH 3SG.M.sit.PST stay.give sit-CONT thing/person water underneath-LOC
"he sits down underneath the water"

## Morphosyntactic properties

MalakMalak's verb phrase uses complex predicates. These consist of an inflecting verb that has properties of person, number and tense. MalakMalak only has six such verbs. In example (4), yuyu and vida are inflecting verbs. Additionally, there are coverbs which have aspectual properties, but do not inflect for number, tense or person. They occur with inflecting verbs. They are unlimited in number and new verbs are also borrowed into this class. In (4), kubuk-karrarr, dat-tyed, and ka are coverbs. They can also form serial verbs (kubuk-karrarr, dat-tyed).
kubuk-karrarr
swim-move.up
dat-tjed
look-stand
yuyu
3SG.M.stand.PST
yanak
one
ka
come
yida=ke
3SG.M.go.PST=FOC
kubuk-karrarr dat-tjed yuyu yanak ka yida=ke
swim-move.up look-stand 3SG.M.stand.PST one come 3SG.M.go.PST=FOC
"he crossed the river and looked once, then he came here"

## Spatial Language

MalakMalak employs all three "classic" types of spatial Frames of Reference: intrinsic, relative and absolute. Additionally, the language uses place names and body-part orientation to talk about space. The intrinsic Frame requires some kind of portioning of the ground object or landmark into named facets from which search domains can be projected. In English this would be, for example, the tree is in front of the man. And in MalakMalak it would be (5).
tjung
tree
angundu-na
behind-LOC
muyu
3SG.N*.stand.PST
tjung angundu-na muyu
tree behind-LOC 3SG.N*.stand.PST
"the tree was behind (the man)"
The relative Frame of Reference involves mapping from the observer's own axes (front, back, left, right) onto the ground object. An English example is the ball is on the right. In MalakMalak it would be (6)
yerra
now
tjalmiyiny
right
dek
place
kantjuk
up/upwards
purrat-ma
jump-CONT
wuta
3SG.N.go.PST
yerra tjalmiyiny dek kantjuk purrat-ma wuta
now right place up/upwards jump-CONT 3SG.N.go.PST
"now the ball was on the right, jumping up (lit. jumping in an upward place on the right)"
The absolute Frame of Reference requires xed bearings that are instantly available to all members of the community. An English example is the opera is west of here. In MalakMalak, three different types of absolute frames can be used. Those based on the course of the sun (east/west) (7a), on prevailing winds (northwesterly/southeasterly) (7b), and on two sides of the prominent Daly River (northeastern/southwestern bank) (7c).
miri
sun
tjalk-ma
go.down-CONT
yina,
this
yina
this
miri
sun
paiga-ma
go.up-CONT
miri tjalk-ma yina, yina miri paiga-ma
sun go.down-CONT this this sun go.up-CONT
"this one is west and this one is east"
Waliwali-nen
Daly.River-DIR
pudang
face.towards
tjedali
stand.PART
yuyu
3SG.M.stand.PRS
nul-yen
northwesterly-DIR
pudang
face.towards
tjedali
stand.part
yuyu
3SG.M.stand.PRS
Waliwali-nen pudang tjedali yuyu nul-yen pudang tjedali yuyu
Daly.River-DIR face.towards stand.PART 3SG.M.stand.PRS northwesterly-DIR face.towards stand.part 3SG.M.stand.PRS
"one is facing the river and the other one is facing northwest" Unknown glossing abbreviation(s) (help);
duk
place
puyunduk
underneath
kinangga
north.eastern.bank/this.side
yide
3SG.M.go/be.PRS
chair=we
chair=FOC
duk puyunduk kinangga yide chair=we
place underneath north.eastern.bank/this.side 3SG.M.go/be.PRS chair=FOC
"it is underneath, on the northeastern bank's side, of the chair"

## Vocabulary
### Tryon (1968)

The following basic vocabulary items of Northern Daly language varieties, including Malak-Malak (or Mullukmulluk), are from Tryon (1968).
    no.glossMullukmullukDjeraity 1headpundɔpundu 2hairpundɔmækpundumæR 3eyesnumɔrɔnumɔrɔ 4noseyinïnyinun 5earčawœrmuninǰawœr 6toothditdiR 7tongueŋændɛlŋændulk 8shouldermœndœlmændœm 9elbowpimïlepimilu 10handnaɲïlnaɲulk 11breastswiyœwiŋ 12backpayakdaɲ 13bellypœɲpœɲ 14navelčœčœtčœčuruk 15heartmændulmamændulma 16urinewurɔwurɔ 17excretewœnwœn 18thighčætčæR 19legwilitdulk 20kneepœŋgœlpœŋgœl 21footmaǰanmæl 22skinŋæčïdlkarala 23fatmilyœlaɲ 24blooddawutpadawɔ 25bonenœrœtmurɔ 26manyiɲalœlambœr 27womanalawaRalœrguR 28fatherbaŋapapaŋa 29motherwiyaŋakalaŋa 30grandmotheræǰæŋaŋeyæčɔ 31policemančæyæčmančayačdiɲ 32spearčaŋarčaŋal 33woomerayarawamaduR 34boomerangčïmbičïmbiččïmbičïmbič 35nullanullawarawaračændæɲ 36hair-beltpudurpurur 37canoewændewændɔ 38axewalyïmbaličpuRp 39dilly bagkarɛrpæmbuR 40firečœŋčuŋɔ 41smokewænwæn 42waterwakwak 43clouddurɔpæRk 44rainbowdæpulɔlɔypulɔlɔy 45barramundiwɔwɔ 46seaŋambačŋambač 47riverwakwurɔwurɔ 48stonewadlkwulɔ 49groundpawuRkwœnǰœ 50trackyæreæRɔ 51dustpulɔpulɔ 52sunmïremirɔ 53moonyædlkyœlk 54starnœmœrœlnumurudl 55nightpuwaRpoyædɔ 56tomorrownœyænœnuŋɔyɔ 57todayæmænæɲika 58bigwunædlewudælɔ 59possumwœyœwœyœ 60dogmoyiɲmoweyiɲ 61tailwœmœwumɔ 62meatdædæ 63snakeŋunǰulčalala 64red kangaroočæyœtmanduRk 65porcupinemænɛŋɛčmanɛŋɛč 66emučïnburatŋœrœɲ 67crowwaŋgïrwaŋguR 68goannačæriɲčæɲ 69blue tongue lizardkumugutpɛrɛt 70mosquitowænŋɛnwænŋun 71sugar-bagpiǰakŋœčœn 72campdækdæk 73blackeyïkeyïkeyukeyuk 74whitepuŋmatamalma 75redwidmawitma 76oneyanakŋayawunuka 77twowærænawærunuka 78when?amanæleŋædekælædiɲ 79what?nïgidænïgidæ 80who?eyɛnaŋon 81Iŋaŋa 82youwaŋareniɲ 83heyœndœnyœndœn 84grasswænewænœ 85vegetable foodmimiyɔ 86treečœŋčuŋɔ 87leafdæmbælwœR 88pandanusmurɔmurɔnarɔ 89ironwoodpawitæluRk 90ripemoeŋœɲdamberæmæ 91goodyunbayanmunbayɛn 92badyinatmunætɔ 93blindwuɲakwuɲ 94deafɲabɔŋamama 95salivačalïlkčalulk

### Blake (1981)

Below is a basic vocabulary list from Blake (1981).
    EnglishMalak-Malak manyinya womanalawar motherwiyanga fatherpanga headpuntu eyenumuru noseyinin eartyewör mouthari tonguengentilk toothtit handnenyilk breastwiyi stomachpöny urinewuru faeceswön thightyat footmatyan bonemörröt bloodtawut dogmuyiny snakete nguntyul kangarootyeyöt possumwöyö mosquitowenngin emutyinpurrat eaglehawkwaruk crowwangkirr sunmirri moonyelk starnömöröl stonewalk waterwak camptek firetyöng smokewen foodmi meatte standwurrma sitpak seetat gopi gettap hittaty Inga youwangarri oneyanaknga twowerrena