A study of the phonetics and phonology of Yaraldi and associated dialects

Abstract

The name "Narineri" is adopted in the initial sections of this study as a convenient cover term applying to the languages and people of a group of related tribes of Aborigines of the Lower Murray River area, South Australia. The tribes referred to formed a unit in several respects. They differed significantly in language and culture from their neighbours. They shared a common culture and common enemies, intermarried and spoke closely related dialects. The close similarity of the languages of the tribes never gave rise to consciousness of a shared language: each tribe considered its own "language" to be distinct, often exaggerating its degree of difference from the others. Show more