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Kaytetye

Kaytetye is a Pama-Nyungan language spoken in Australia. Glottolog rates it shifting.

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Kaytetye · 21.6°S 133.6°E

Kaytetye (also spelt Kaititj, Gaididj, Kaiditj, Kaytej) is an Australian Aboriginal language primarily spoken in the Northern Territory north of Alice Springs by the Kaytetye people, who live around Barrow Creek and Tennant Creek. It belongs to the Arandic subgroup of the Pama-Nyungan languages and is related to Alyawarra, which is one of the Upper Arrernte dialects. It has an unusual phonology and there are no known dialects.

The language is considered to be threatened; it is used for face-to-face communication within all generations, but it is losing users, with only 109 speakers of the language in the 2021 census.

The Kaytetye also have a well-developed sign language known as Akitiri or Eltye eltyarrenke.

From Wikipedia · Kaytetye language · CC BY-SA 4.0

Words in Kaytetye

MeaningWordRomanization
nameetne*
eyeelwe*
earelpe*
noseele*
tootherTwen*
tongueale5*
handelTe*
bloodarkNe*
boneNkwen*
skinper*
kneeerpe*
breastalypaT*
liveralem*
waterarntwe
firewar*
sunaherk*
starakweraly*
stoneatnte*
treeate*
leafalper*
nightatnwareNel*
dogalek*
fishailper*
lousearem*
oneawe5er*
twoa8er*
IaieN*
youNe*
weaina*
drinkkwa8e*

* in the simplified ASJP transcription

Most similar languages

Vocabulary

Vocabulary compares 40 basic words (ASJP); grammar compares 195 features (Grambank). Similar is not always related.

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Glottolog · kayt1238 · Wikipedia (English) · Ethnologue · gbb