The Western Desert language, or Wati, is a dialect cluster of Australian Aboriginal languages in the Pama–Nyungan family, spoken by people comprising the Western Desert cultural bloc.

The name Wati tends to be used when considering the various varieties to be distinct languages, Western Desert when considering them dialects of a single language, or Wati as Warnman plus the Western Desert cluster.

Location and list of communities The speakers of the various dialects of the Western Desert Language traditionally lived across much of the desert areas of Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory. Most Western Desert people live in communities on or close to their traditional lands, although some now live in one of the towns fringing the desert area such as Kalgoorlie, Laverton, Alice Springs, Port Augusta, Meekatharra, Halls Creek and Fitzroy Crossing.

The following is a partial list of Western Desert communities:

Kintore, Northern Territory Docker River, Northern Territory Ernabella, South Australia Amata, South Australia Fregon, South Australia Pipalyatjara, South Australia Kalka, South Australia Warburton, Western Australia Kiwirrkurra, Western Australia Balgo, Western Australia Aputula, Northern Territory (also known as Finke) Imanpa, Northern Territory (also known as Mount Ebenezer) Mutitjulu, Northern Territory Jigalong, Western Australia

Dialect continuum

The Western Desert Language consists of a network of closely related dialects; the names of some of these have become quite well known (such as Pitjantjatjara) and they are often referred to as "languages".

As the whole group of dialects that constitutes the language does not have its own name, it is usually referred to as the Western Desert Language. WDL speakers referring to the overall language use various terms including wangka ("language") or wangka yuti ("clear speech"). For native speakers, the language is mutually intelligible across its entire range.

Dialects Following are some of the named varieties of the Western Desert Language.

Language/dialect People Notes AIATSIS reference Antakarinya dialect Antakarinya people C5: Antikirinya Kartujarra dialect Kartujarra people A51: Kartujarra Kokatha dialect Kokatha people C3: Kokatha Two dialects of the Western Desert language have been named 'Kukatja'; Kukatja (A68) and Kukatja (C7) Kukatja (A68) and Kukatja (C7) A68 is in the north of Western Australia near Lake Gregory, and C7 is west of Haasts Bluff in central Australia. A68 is one of the dialects that make up Martu Wangka at Jigalong. C7 call themselves 'Luritja' now. A68: Kukatja & C7: Kukatja Kuwarra dialect Kuwarra people There is little information regarding the language but the people are well attested. A16: Kuwarra Luritja dialect Luritja people The Kukatja (C7) call themselves 'Luritja' now. Pintupi and Luritja are two similar but overlapping dialects. C7.1: Luritja Manyjilyjarra dialect Manyjilyjarra people One of the dialects that make up Martu Wangka at Jigalong. A51.1: Manyjilyjarra Mantjintjarra dialect Mantjintjarra people A33: Mantjintjarra Martu Wangka dialect Martu people Martu Wangka refers to either a dialect found at and around Jigalong, Western Australia or many different dialect groups in the Gibson, Little Sandy and Great Sandy deserts. A86: Martu Wangka Nakako dialect Nakako people Little research has been conducted on the people and their language. A32: Nakako Ngaanyatjarra dialect Ngaanyatjarra people A38:Ngaanyatjarra Ngaatjatjarra dialect Ngaatjatjarra people A43: Ngaatjatjarra Ngalia dialect Ngalia people C2: Ngalia Pindiini/Wangkatha/Wangkatja dialect Pindiini/Wangkatha/Wangkatja people These three dialects & people have been hardly distinguished. A102: Pindiini, A12: Wangkatha & A103: Wangkatja Pintupi dialect Pintupi people Pintupi and Luritja are two similar but overlapping dialects. C10: Pintupi Pitjantjatjara dialect Pitjantjatjara people C6: Pitjantjatjara Putijarra dialect Putijarra people One of the dialects which make up Martu Wangka at Jigalong. A54: Putijarra Tjupan dialect Tjupan people A31: Tjupan Wangkajunga dialect Wangkajunga people A87: Wangkajunga Yankunytjatjara dialect Yankunytjatjara people C4: Yankunytjatjara Yulparija dialect Yulparija people A67: Yulparija

Language Status The Western Desert Language has thousands of speakers, making it one of the strongest indigenous Australian languages. The language is still being transmitted to children and has substantial amounts of literature, particularly in the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara dialects in South Australia where there was formerly a long-running bilingual program.

Phonology In the following tables of the WDL sound system, symbols in give a typical practical orthography used by many WDL communities. Further details of orthographies in use in different areas are given below. Phonetic values in IPA are shown in [square brackets].

Vowels FrontBackClose Open

The Western Desert Language has the common (for Australia) three-vowel system with a length distinction creating a total of six possible vowels.

Consonants Peripheral Laminal Apical Bilabial Velar Palatal Alveolar RetroflexPlosive Nasal Trill Lateral Approximant

As shown in the chart, the WDL distinguishes five positions of articulation, and has oral and nasal occlusives at each position. The stops have no phonemic voice distinction but display voiced and unvoiced allophones; stops are usually unvoiced at the beginning of a word, and voiced elsewhere. In both positions, they are usually unaspirated. There are no fricative consonants.

Orthography While the dialects of the WDL have very similar phonologies there are several different orthographies in use, resulting from the preferences of the different early researchers as well as the fact that the WDL region extends into three states (Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory), with each having its own history of language research and educational policy.

Sign language

Most of the peoples of central Australia have (or at one point had) signed forms of their languages. Among the Western Desert peoples, sign language has been reported specifically for Kardutjara and Yurira Watjalku,Miller, Wick R. (1978). A report on the sign language of the Western Desert (Australia). Reprinted in Aboriginal sign languages of the Americas and Australia. New York: Plenum Press, 1978, vol. 2, pp. 435–440. Ngaatjatjarra (Ngada),C.P. Mountford (1938) "Gesture language of the Ngada tribe of the Warburton Ranges, Western Australia", Oceania 9: 152–155. Reprinted in Aboriginal sign languages of the Americas and Australia. New York: Plenum Press, 1978, vol. 2, pp. 393–396. and Manjiljarra. Signed Kardutjara and Yurira Watjalku are known to have been well-developed, though it is not clear from records that signed Ngada and Manjiljarra were.Kendon, A. (1988) Sign Languages of Aboriginal Australia: Cultural, Semiotic and Communicative Perspectives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

References

Goddard, C. 1985. A Grammar of Yankunytjatjara. Alice Springs: IAD.

External links 'Western Desert' section of Handbook of Western Australian Aboriginal Languages South of the Kimberley