Wik-Mungkan language
Encyclopedia
Wik-Mungknh, also often called Wik-Mungkan, is a Paman language
spoken on the northern part of Cape York Peninsula
of Queensland
, Australia
, by the Wik-Mungknh people. It is closely related to the other Wik-Mungknh language, Wik-Iiyanh, and more distantly to the Wik languages
. As of 1996 there were 480 speakers of the languages, and another 600 speakers who had Wik-Mungknh as their second language
.
The English language
has borrowed at least one word from Wik-Mungknh, that for the taipan
, a species of venomous snake
native to the region.
A dictionary
of Wik-Mungknh has been compiled by Christine Kilham.
Paman languages
The Paman languages are an Australian language family spoken on the Cape York Peninsula of Queensland. First noted by Kenneth Hale, Paman is noteworthy for the profound phonological changes which have affected some of its descendants.- Classification :...
spoken on the northern part of Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
of Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, by the Wik-Mungknh people. It is closely related to the other Wik-Mungknh language, Wik-Iiyanh, and more distantly to the Wik languages
Wik languages
The Wik languages are a subdivision of the Paman languages consisting of sixteen languages, all spoken on the Cape York Peninsula of Queensland, Australia. This grouping was first proposed by R. M. W. Dixon...
. As of 1996 there were 480 speakers of the languages, and another 600 speakers who had Wik-Mungknh as their second language
Second language
A second language or L2 is any language learned after the first language or mother tongue. Some languages, often called auxiliary languages, are used primarily as second languages or lingua francas ....
.
The English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
has borrowed at least one word from Wik-Mungknh, that for the taipan
Taipan
The taipans are a genus of large, fast, highly venomous Australasian snakes of the elapid family.-Overview:The taipan was named by Donald Thomson after the word used by the Wik-Mungkan Aboriginal people of central Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia.There are three known species: the coastal...
, a species of venomous snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
native to the region.
A dictionary
Dictionary
A dictionary is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon...
of Wik-Mungknh has been compiled by Christine Kilham.