Pama-Nyungan

English

Etymology

From pama (“man, person”) (in several northeast Australian Aboriginal languages) + nyungaa (“man, person”) (in several southwestern Australian Aboriginal languages) +‎ -an. Apparently coined by American linguist Kenneth L. Hale (1934-2001), to show the vast geographical extent of the family.

Pronunciation

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˌpamə-ˈnjʊŋən/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌpʌməˈnjʊŋən/, /ˌpaməˈnjʊŋən/

Proper noun

Pama-Nyungan

1. (linguistics) A proposed language family encompassing most Australian Aboriginal languages, including Pitjantjatjara and Warlpiri, but excluding those spoken in the northwest. [from 1960s]

Derived terms

• Proto-Pama-Nyungan

Further reading

Ethnologue report on Pama-Nyungan languages