A8: Murunitja

AIATSIS code: 
A8
AIATSIS reference name: 
Murunitja

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Name
Thesaurus heading language
Thesaurus heading people
ABN name
-
ABS name
-
Horton name
Nyanganyatjara (Murunitja)
Ethnologue name
-
ISO 639-3 code
-
Tindale name
Murunitja
Tindale (1974)
Mooroon, Murnidja, ? Mara, Kogara (means 'east,' hence by extension 'easterners').
O'Grady et al (1966)
Moorooon
Glottocode
-
Other sources
-
Synonyms
Nyanganyatjara, Nangatadjara, Pindini, Tjeraridjal, Wanggatha, Kogara Mara, Mooroon, Murnidja, Murunidja, Moorooon, Mara, Kogara
Comment
Comments: 

According to Oates (1975:376), the only information available is Tindale's mapping, but Tindale (1974) does provide some references. Tindale cites Williams' word list in Curr (1886) but Oates identifies this source as Ngadjunma A3 data, while MURA identifies it as Mirning A9.

Thieberger mentions this name associated with Western Desert language A80.

 

References: 
  • Tindale, Norman B. 1974. Aboriginal tribes of Australia: their terrain, environmental controls, distribution, limits, and proper names. Berkeley: University of California Press/Canberra: Australian National University Press.
  • Oates, Lynette F. 1975. The 1973 supplement to a revised linguistic survey of Australia. Armidale: Armidale Christian Book Centre.
  • Thieberger, N. 1993. Handbook of the Western Australian Aboriginal Languages South of the Kimberley Region. Pacific Linguistics Series C-124. Canberra: RSPAS, ANU.
Status: 
Potential data
Location
State / Territory: 
WA
Location information: 

Northern margin of Nullarbor Plain from Naretha to about north of Loongana; northward for about 100 miles (160 km.); at Rawlinna and Walawuluna Rockhole (Tindale 1974).

Maps: 
  • Tindale, Norman. 1974. Tribal boundaries in Aboriginal Australia. Canberra: Division of National Mapping, Department of National Development.
Links
Programs
Activities: 
-
People: 
-
Indigenous organisations: 
-
Speakers
Year Source Speaker numbers
1975Oates-
1984Senate-
1990Schmidt-
1996Census-
2001Census-
2004NILS1-
2005Estimate-
2006Census-
2011Census-
2014NILS2
2016Census-
2018-2019NILS3

Speaker numbers were measured differently across the censuses and various other sources listed in AUSTLANG. You are encouraged to refer to the sources.

Speaker numbers for ‘NILS 2004’ and ‘2005 estimate’ come from 'Table F.3: Numbers of speakers of Australian Indigenous languages (various surveys)' in 'Appendix F NILS endangerment and absolute number results' in McConvell, Marmion and McNicol 2005, pages 198-230 (PDF, 2.5MB).

Documentation
Type Documentation Status Documentation Score
Word list None 0
Text Collection None 0
Grammar None 0
Audio-visual Less than 1 1
Manuscript note: 
not available
Grammar: 
-
Dictionary: 
-
Classification
Source Family Group Sub-group Name Relationship
Ethnologue (2005)          
Dixon (2002)          
Wurm (1994) Pama-Nyungan South-West   Murunitja  
Walsh (1981) Pama-Nyungan South-West Wati/Western Desert Murunitja  
Oates (1975) Unclassified     Murunitja  
Wurm (1972) Pama-Nyungan Southwest (or Nyungic) Western Desert Language Murunitja  
O'Grady, Voegelin and Voegelin (1966) Pama-Nyungan Southwest Wati Murunitja