Mangarayi (N78) is described as a non-Pama-Nyungan language from the Western Roper River region in the Northern Territory (Merlan, 1982:xi, xiv).
There is no dialectal variation in Mangarayi; there is an avoidance style used with mother-in-law and certain other relations. Grammatical expression of this style includes plural and dual pronoun forms used with singular referents; lexical replacement and frequent use of 'politely-framed' speech styles (Merlan, 1982:xiii).
The classification of Mangarrayi is uncertain. Alpher, Evans and Harvey (2003) include it in the Gunwinyguan group while Merlan (2003) argues that it belongs to the Marra-Alawic (~Maran) family group, see Alawa N92, Marra N78 and Warndarrang N120.
The general association was to Roper River drainage between Salt Creek and Duck Ponds. In the south Mangarrayi associations extended to Bayward Lagoon on the Strangeways River. They did not extend south of this place (Harvey ASEDA 802).
Search MURA people®
Search MURA language®
Search OZBIB
Search Trove
Search Worldcat
Diwurruwurru-jaru Aboriginal Corporation made recordings and produced a few materials early 2000'.
Ngukurr Languaage Centre https://ngukurrlc.org.au/
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).
Merlan, Francesca. 1982. Mangarayi. Amsterdam: North-Holland Publishing.
Merlan, Francesca et.al. 1990. Mangarrayi vocabulary, ms.
