W21: Tharrkari

AIATSIS code: 
W21
AIATSIS reference name: 
Tharrkari

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Name
Thesaurus heading language
Thesaurus heading people
ABN name
Tharrkari language (Previously Thargari language)
ABS name
-
Horton name
Tharrgari
Ethnologue name
Dhargari
ISO 639-3 code
dhr
Tindale name
Targari
Tindale (1974)
Tarugari, Dargari, Tarkari, Tarkarri, Dalgari, Tarl-garri.
O'Grady et al (1966)
Dargari, Tarkarri
Glottocode
dhar1247
Other sources
Tharrgari [Alpher 2006.p.c.] Tarlgarri, Thadgarri [Dixon 2011:26]
Synonyms
Dhargari, Tharrgari, Targari, Tharkarri, Dalgari, Dargari, Tarkari, Tarkarri, Tarlgarri, Tarugari, Thadgarri, Thargari, Tarl garri
Comment
Comments: 

The Mantharta languages are a group of four Aboriginal languages traditionally spoken in the north-west of Western Australia. They are Jiwarli W28, Thiin W25, Warriyangka W22 and Tharrkari  W21. The languages are closely related genetically, although they show some interesting structural and lexical differences (Austin, 2015: 5). 

Tharrgari (W21) is a Pama Nyungan language of the Mantharta group, along with Jiwarli W28, Thiin W25 and Warriyangka W22 (Austin, 1991:20). Austin describes two dialects of Dhargari (W21) which are virtually identical, differing only in whether they have collapsed or retained the contrast between laterals and stops. Austin refers to them descriptively as the 'd-dialect' and the 'l-dialect' (1981:207).

 

 

References: 
  • Austin, Peter. 1981. Proto-Kanyara and proto-Mantharta historical phonology. Lingua, vol. 52, pp. 295-333. (p AUS)
  • Austin, Peter. 1991. Double case-marking in Kanyara and Mantharta languages Western Australiain La Trobe working papers in Linguistics, Vol 4, pp19-35.
  • Austin, Peter. 2015. A Reference Grammar of the Mantharta Languages, Western Australia. Draft version 3.7. Unpublished MS.

  • Sutton, Peter. 1995. Country: Aboriginal boundaries and land ownership in Australia. Canberra: Aboriginal History Inc.
  • 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.
Status: 
Confirmed
Location
State / Territory: 
WA
Location information: 

On Lyndon Station and the coastal plain south of the Lyndon River and west of Round Hill; east to Hill Springs and Minilya River headwaters; south to Middalya, Moogooree, and Kennedy Range. Post-European migration took them east to the Lyons River (Tindale 1974).

[Tharrkari's] western extent was to Lyndon and Williambury Stations and they were not north of Maroonah (Austin in Sutton 1995:97).

 

Maps: 
-
Links
Programs
Activities: 
-
People: 
Peter Austin, Terry Klokeid, Geoffrey O'Grady, Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre
Indigenous organisations: 
-
Speakers
Year Source Speaker numbers
1975Oates-
1984Senate-
1990Schmidt-
1996Census-
2001Census-
2004NILS12
2005Estimate2
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 Small (20-100 pages) 2
Text Collection Less than 20 pages 1
Grammar Sketch grammar (less than 100 pages) 2
Audio-visual 1-10 2
Manuscript note: 
tape transcription/field note available
Grammar: 

Klokeid, Terry. 1969. Thargari phonology and morphology: Pacific Linguistics B12. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.

Dictionary: 

Austin, Peter. 1992. A dictionary of Tharrgari, Western Australia. Bundoora: La Trobe University.

Classification
Source Family Group Sub-group Name Relationship
Ethnologue (2005) Pama-Nyungan South-West Inland Ngayarda Dhargari  
Dixon (2002)   GASCOYNE RIVER TO PILBARA AREAL GROUP   Tharrkari, Mantharta dialects: Tharrkari, Warriyangka, Tjiwarli, Thiin
Wurm (1994) Pama-Nyungan South-West   Dhargari  
Walsh (1981) Pama-Nyungan South-West Kanyara Dhargari  
Oates (1975) Pama-Nyungan Pilbara-Nyungar (Southwest) Kanyara Dargari  
Wurm (1972) Pama-Nyungan Southwest (or Nyungic) Mantharda Thargari  
O'Grady, Voegelin and Voegelin (1966) Pama-Nyungan Southwest Kanyara Targari