A grammar of Nakkara (Central Arnhem Land Coast)

Abstract

Chapter 1: In the first chapter I present a brief overview of the Nakkara language and its speakers. We look firstly at the linguistic type and point out that Nakkara belongs to the Non-Pama Nyungan family of Australian languages. Some of the salient features of the language are pointed out and comparisons drawn with other languages in the area. Alternative names used to refer to this language are listed, followed by descriptions of the traditional land estates of Nakkara speakers. The remainder of the chapter provides a backdrop for the language description by outlining relations with traditional neighbours, involvement with ceremony, arts and crafts, recent history and the language and its speakers today. Chapter 2: This chapter describes the phonology of Nakkara and includes phonemic analysis, stress patterns, phonotactics and word structure, phonological and morphological rules and orthographic representation. The most detailed area of analysis in this chapter is the interpretation of an audible stop contrast in the language. Stop length is introduced as a significant phonetic factor in the phonemic interpetation of Nakkara sounds. Chapter 3: This chapter is entitled Morphological Preliminaries. It gives a typological profile of the language and introduces most of the technical terms used in the morphological analysis of Nakkara. The parts of speech (or word classes) used in this description are also introduced here, as well as the morpho-syntactic notions of core, outer-core and peripheral levels. Chapter 4: The morphology of Nakkara is extensive and is therefore divided into three separate chapters. In this chapter we examine nominal morphology in general, looking firstly at independent pronoun morphology^ then at pronominal affixes. Lastly the morphological functions of non-pronominal affixes and postpositions are introduced. Chapter 5: This and the following chapter deal with the morphology of verbal structures in the language. In chapter five the verb-complex (VC) is defined and the morphological components of the verbal pronominal prefix are analysed extensively. This introduces the notions of verb transitivity and valency, pronominal participant identification, the morphology of tense, status and polarity distinctions as well as Imperative and Hortative constrictions. A Chapter 6: This chapter deals with verb-stem morphology in Nakkara. We examine and categorise verb conjugations and look at the idiosyncrasies of monosyllabic verbs in this language. Other verb-stem components introduced are the orientation afffixes as well as the reflexive, reciprocal and inchoative affixes. Chapter 7: This chapter examines the form and function of the remaining word-classes and thus represents a bridge between description of the morphology and syntax of this language. These word-classes include qualifiers of space, place and time, interrogatives and indefinites, connective and introductory particles, mood particles and adjuncts (which function something like manner adverbials). Chapter 8: This final chapter looks beyond morphology to the structure of both simple and complex clauses in Nakkara. We examine firstly the occurrence of different types of verbless clauses in the language and then look at simple and complex verbal clauses.