Minkin language

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Minkin
Mingginda
Australia
Burketown, Queensland
Mingin people
late 19th century
Macro-Pama–Nyungan?

TangkicMinkin | | xxm | | mink1237 | | G26 |

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Minkin or Mingginda is an extinct Australian Aboriginal language, perhaps a language isolate, of northern Australia. It was spoken by the Mingin people in the area around Burketown, on the southern coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria, in an area that contains the headwaters of the Leichhardt River.

The classification of Minkin is uncertain, primarily due to a lack of data. It has been suggested that it may have been related to the Yiwaidjan or Tankic language families. Evans (1990) believes it has been demonstrated to be a Tankic language, more distant than the others are to each other; this is accepted in Bowern (2011).

	Peripheral	Laminal	Apical
p	k	t̪	tʲ	t	ʈ
m	ŋ	(n̪)	nʲ	n	ɳ
				(ɾ~r)	(ɻ)
		(l̪)	lʲ	l	ɭ
w		j

Consonants in parentheses are unattested, but may have existed based on other languages' phonologies.

	Front	Central	Back
i		u
	a

It is not possible to tell if there was vowel length.

The following wildcard letters represent unresolvable segments:

• T = /t̪/, /ʈ/ or /t/
• TH = /t̪/ or /tʲ/
• N = /n/, /ɳ/, /n̪/, /ŋ/, also /nʲ/ initially
• NH = /n/, /n/, /nʲ/
• NG = /ŋ/ /ŋk/, or /nk/
• W = /ŋ/, or /w/ initially
• W = /ŋ/ or /k/ initially
• G = /k/ or /tʲ/
• L = /l/, /ɭ/ or /l̪/
• R = /r/ or /ɻ/
• E = /i/ or /a/
• O = /u/ or /a/
• V = any vowel

Minkin data reconstituted by Evans (1990):

gloss Minkin

man (Aboriginal) ŋaRka (ŋařka)

'the blacks' yaŋ(k)ana; wampuRa; kOmu; miŋ(k)u

white man piʈa; Takantana

young man kulankali; wuRunta (wuɽunta)

boy, children wuRaRa

baby (also 'little', 'younger brother') piltʸinkuRa

girl puLupuLa (puɭupuɭa)

woman maku

old man paʈiŋaRa

old woman waʈikiRi (waʈikiři)

father kEyatʸi

mother kuntuŋu

sister wuŋ(k)uRa-paŋa; yilulaŋa

brother, elder Naŋkalʸ or Naŋkay

brother, younger piRtʸinkuRa

mother's mother TiTila

God tʸORpuyu

ghosts paʈa

'being who taught them everything' kuwaRi

head wiʈa

hair of head puLumpa

hair of beard, beard yaRinʸa, yaRiŋa

eye mitʸELa

ear maRa (mařa)

mouth paRka

teeth liya

tongue THalŋa ~ THanŋa

nose kiwiRa

face yiRa

neck panTaLmaRa

shoulder tʸaʈa

breasts, milk ŋukula

back kOnTa (kanta)

stomach paʈaka; puLtʸi

chest payuLa

thigh piLpa; t̪anpa

leg tʸila

ankle mukuLa

foot tʸaŋ(k)a

track of a foot tʸaŋ(k)ay, tʸaNa

arm waLERa

wrist muni-muni; maNay-maNay

hand ŋaRŋaRa (ŋařŋařa)

fingers ŋařa

skin pakuRu

bone TimERa (ʈimiřa)

blood takana

fat paRaŋ(k)a (paɽaŋka)

bowels, excrement TORa (ʈuRa)

excrement malina

kangaroo punkana; tʸaku-tʸaku

possum wapuRa

tame dog kutu

wild dog, dingo mitʸilpaRa

emu puLanʸtʸana

black duck piyanʸtʸuRa

wood duck yapiRa- muntunʸtʸiRa

pelican yukuTaRa; pitiltu

laughing jackass (kookaburra) TalkuRa (t̪alkuřa)

native companion (brolga) Tila-TalkuRa; puRalku

white cockatoo TayalpuwaRa; kaRimpala

crow waŋkuLa

swan kunankuta

wild turkey piRinkuRa

egg yapipa

snake palaŋ(k)aRa; pakanpapa

fish waRa

crayfish miNTuLa

mosquito kalaRaŋ(k)a (kalařaŋka)

fly wuŋaRa; kuRiNa

grass kOɳa (kaɳa); puLpa

bark kuRumpa; pakuRu

wood wiLa; wiLaTaLOnti (wiLa t̪alunti)

war-spear waRinwaRina; maLtʸiNTaRa

reed-spear waRin; ŋuRmi (ŋuřmi)

woomera piRi (piři)

shield Taʈuna; tʸaRpi (tʸařpi)

tomahawk THaʈiyapina; tʸaRiwiNTila

boomerang waŋila

carvings on boomerang waLitʸi

canoe kamiRa

camp NETa (ɳat̪a) (ŋita)

fire wiLa

heat yaLuLu (yalulu); mawuRina

smoke Tumpuɳa; kuya-kuya

light NawaNawa; kawuntuNaRay

dark (= night) kawuNTi

water, rain wat̪a

food La(R)kuLa

honey (= fat) paRaŋ(k)a (paɽaŋka)

thirsty NVRmuNTu (ŋawaRmuNTu)

hungry NaLu

stone, hill kapaʈa

ground kuʈa

river kaTaRa (kat̪ařa)

lake, lagoon paNka

swamp wuɭpa

sea mawORa

sun tʸiRiŋaŋa

moon palaŋatʸi

moon; star (?) piRiŋ(k)a (piɽiŋka)

star; sky (?) TaLaLa (ʈalala)

thunder piʈimaRa(-Ta)

wind waRmaRa (wařmaɽa)

rain puLuLaŋ(k)ana

day palmanmaLamaLa; yiɳanʸtʸi

today yanaNiŋ(k)a, yanaLiŋ(k)a

night miLimaʈa; kawuNTi

yesterday kawuNTiwa; yaluNTay

dawn ŋaNaRaNa, yuNaRaNa

tomorrow kawuNTu, kawuNTuŋ(k)aRa

by-and-by kiTaNTa ŋatʸa

cold KuRiNa (ŋuřina)

good puRuka

bad TuRka

big puLaNa; kuNamiRa (kunʸamiřa)

little; baby piltʸinkuRa

dead, rotten pukayaNa, puka

sweet kaRaLkaRaLa

one tʸuwaRnʸu ~ tʸuwaLnʸu

two Tikinʸa

three Tantʸilta

four Tikintalʸu- TuwaLʸu, TikintʸaLinʸa

plenty, many yunkuna; wan(a)puRa

none, no wiɳiŋa; Wawiŋa

any waNTini

some tʸiliŋa

same man̪t̪anʸi

other tʸawuNiliŋa

to walk yaNkiya

to walk, go yapu

to run Taŋanʸi

to go away tʸawuyu

to come here ŋatʸa

to sit Ninʸa; kuNuyu

to take kawapa

to hold niŋapa

to let him go yiɭayaNkipa

to give wuNapa

to burn with fire Nalapa

to make piʈimapa

to sleep yuŋ(k)uyu

to die yuRpiyu

to live piRitʸinʸa

to eat TayaTaya, TaRa

to drink WawunTini

to speak watʸi

to see Nawapa

to feel (yu)wiŋapa

to hear (yu)wiŋʸtʸin- ta(R)watʸiNa

to know mitʸil-maRa

yes Niya (ŋiya)

'Name of a place where the being camped' maalpay or maalpi

Marriage class A (male) LiyaRaNu

Marriage class C (female, marries A) kaŋila

Marriage class B (male, marries D) kayaLOLa

Marriage class D (female, marries B) ŋařitʸpalaŋi

Where are the blacks? TaɳaŋaRa komu?; TaɳaŋaRa miŋ(k)u

I don't know. waNTaŋ Naŋ(k)i kuʈa; waNTaŋ Nanʸtʸi kuʈa

• jaco-jaco (kangaroo)

• kallanarra (mosquito)

• karimbala (white cockatoo)

• koodoo (tame dog)

• koorina (fly)

• megilpurra (wild dog)

• ooabiba (egg)

• paganbaba (snake)

• piringooraa (wild turkey)

• piteldoo (pelican)

• poolunganna (emu)

• pooralga (native companion)

• wapoora (possum)

• wongoola (crow)

• worra (fish)

• bilba (thigh)

• boormba (hair of the head)

• changa (foot)

• charn-nga (tongue)

• dimira (bone)

• kiwira (nose)

• lia (teeth)

• makola (breasts)

• mara (ear)

• migilla (eye)

• na-nga-ra (hand)

• pagooroo (skin)

• paranga (fat)

• pardaga (stomach)

• parka (mouth)

• tangana (blood)

• turra (bowel and excrement)

• wedda (head)

• yarin-nga (beard)

• choarng-ngo (one)

• tigina (two)

• tarngiltna (three)

• birgenkoora (brother-younger)

• churbooyo (God)

• kiagi (father)

• koo-ar-ee (being who taught them everything)

• koondoonoo (mother)

• magoo (black woman)

• nacile (brother-elder)

• nurka (aboriginal man)

• ooardigiri (old woman)

• ooroonda (a young man)

• parda (ghosts)

• pardingara (an old man)

• pelgincorra (a baby)

• takandana (a white man)

• tano ara mingoo? (where are black?)

• tyana (track of a foot)

• wompoora (the blacks)

• yillolunga (sister-elder)

Source: Curr 1886, p. 314

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• Curr, Edward Micklethwaite (1886). "On the west bank of the Leichardt River, near the sea. Mingin tribe" (PDF). In Curr, Edward Micklethwaite (ed.). The Australian race: its origin, languages, customs, place of landing in Australia and the routes by which it spread itself over the continent. Vol. 2. Melbourne: J. Ferres. pp. 314–315 – via Internet Archive.