Tasmanian languages
Encyclopedia
The Tasmanian languages, or Palawa languages, were the languages indigenous to the island of Tasmania
. Based on short wordlists, it appears that there were anywhere from five to sixteen languages on Tasmania.
Though the last full-blooded Tasmanian died on Flinders Island
in 1888, a language or languages continued to be used, perhaps as a creole
, on Flinders and Cape Barren Islands. These are believed to have gone extinct in 1905, with the death of the last known speaker, Fanny Cochrane Smith
. Tasmanian Aborigines
today speak English.
Little is known of the languages and no relationship to other languages is demonstrable; it is not even known if they were related to each other. They appear to have been typologically and phonetically similar to southern Australian Aboriginal languages
. Joseph Greenberg
proposed an Indo-Pacific superfamily
which includes Tasmanian along with Andamanese
and Papuan
(but not Australian
). This has not met with acceptance by historical linguists.
There are about twenty word lists, the most extensive being that of George Augustus Robinson
. All these show a poor grasp of the sounds of Tasmanian, which appear to have been fairly typical of Australian languages in this parameter. Plomley (1976) presents all the lexical data available to him in 1976. Crowley and Dixon (1981) summarise what little is known of Tasmanian phonology and grammar.
Fanny Cochrane Smith recorded a series of wax cylinder
recordings of Aboriginal songs, the only existing audio recording of the Tasmanian indigenous languages, though they are of extremely poor quality, and Smith's language was likely not pure Tasmanian. In 1972, a woman in Hobart shared with Terry Crowley
one sentence and a few words that had been handed down for generations, of a language last spoken for daily communication in the 1830s. From these sources, Tasmanian people are seeking to recover their lost languages and traditions. The largest language revival project to date is the Palawa kani
project.
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. Based on short wordlists, it appears that there were anywhere from five to sixteen languages on Tasmania.
Though the last full-blooded Tasmanian died on Flinders Island
Flinders Island
Flinders Island may refer to:In Australia:* Flinders Island , in the Furneaux Group, is the largest and best known* Flinders Island * Flinders Island , in the Investigator Group* Flinders Island...
in 1888, a language or languages continued to be used, perhaps as a creole
Creole language
A creole language, or simply a creole, is a stable natural language developed from the mixing of parent languages; creoles differ from pidgins in that they have been nativized by children as their primary language, making them have features of natural languages that are normally missing from...
, on Flinders and Cape Barren Islands. These are believed to have gone extinct in 1905, with the death of the last known speaker, Fanny Cochrane Smith
Fanny Cochrane Smith
Fanny Cochrane Smith, was a Tasmanian Aborigine, born in December 1834. She is considered to be the last fluent speaker of a Tasmanian language, and her wax cylinder recordings of songs are the only audio recordings of any of Tasmania's indigenous languages.-Life:Fanny Cochrane's mother and...
. Tasmanian Aborigines
Tasmanian Aborigines
The Tasmanian Aborigines were the indigenous people of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Before British colonisation in 1803, there were an estimated 3,000–15,000 Parlevar. A number of historians point to introduced disease as the major cause of the destruction of the full-blooded...
today speak English.
Little is known of the languages and no relationship to other languages is demonstrable; it is not even known if they were related to each other. They appear to have been typologically and phonetically similar to southern Australian Aboriginal languages
Australian Aboriginal languages
The Australian Aboriginal languages comprise several language families and isolates native to the Australian Aborigines of Australia and a few nearby islands, but by convention excluding the languages of Tasmania and the Torres Strait Islanders...
. Joseph Greenberg
Joseph Greenberg
Joseph Harold Greenberg was a prominent and controversial American linguist, principally known for his work in two areas, linguistic typology and the genetic classification of languages.- Early life and career :...
proposed an Indo-Pacific superfamily
Indo-Pacific languages
Indo-Pacific is a hypothetical language macrofamily proposed in 1971 by Joseph Greenberg. Supporters of Indo-Pacific see it as an extremely ancient and internally diverse family...
which includes Tasmanian along with Andamanese
Andamanese languages
The Andamanese languages form a proposed language family spoken by the Andamanese peoples, a group of Negritos who live in the Andaman Islands, a union territory of India. Its validity is disputed...
and Papuan
Papuan languages
The Papuan languages are those languages of the western Pacific which are neither Austronesian nor Australian. The term does not presuppose a genetic relationship. The concept of Papuan peoples as distinct from Melanesians was first suggested and named by Sidney Herbert Ray in 1892.-The...
(but not Australian
Australian Aboriginal languages
The Australian Aboriginal languages comprise several language families and isolates native to the Australian Aborigines of Australia and a few nearby islands, but by convention excluding the languages of Tasmania and the Torres Strait Islanders...
). This has not met with acceptance by historical linguists.
There are about twenty word lists, the most extensive being that of George Augustus Robinson
George Augustus Robinson
George Augustus Robinson was a builder and untrained preacher. He was the Chief Protector of Aborigines in Port Phillip District from 1839 to 1849...
. All these show a poor grasp of the sounds of Tasmanian, which appear to have been fairly typical of Australian languages in this parameter. Plomley (1976) presents all the lexical data available to him in 1976. Crowley and Dixon (1981) summarise what little is known of Tasmanian phonology and grammar.
Fanny Cochrane Smith recorded a series of wax cylinder
Phonograph cylinder
Phonograph cylinders were the earliest commercial medium for recording and reproducing sound. Commonly known simply as "records" in their era of greatest popularity , these cylinder shaped objects had an audio recording engraved on the outside surface which could be reproduced when the cylinder was...
recordings of Aboriginal songs, the only existing audio recording of the Tasmanian indigenous languages, though they are of extremely poor quality, and Smith's language was likely not pure Tasmanian. In 1972, a woman in Hobart shared with Terry Crowley
Terry Crowley (linguist)
Terry Crowley was a linguist specializing in Oceanic languages as well as Bislama, the English-lexified Creole recognized as a national language in Vanuatu. From 1991 till his death he was a professor at the University of Waikato in New Zealand...
one sentence and a few words that had been handed down for generations, of a language last spoken for daily communication in the 1830s. From these sources, Tasmanian people are seeking to recover their lost languages and traditions. The largest language revival project to date is the Palawa kani
Palawa kani
Palawa kani is a reconstructed language; an ongoing project which aims to create a generic language, resembling the extinct languages once spoken by the Tasmanian Aborigines .-History:...
project.