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| Kalau Lagau Ya | |
|---|---|
| Western Torres Strait | |
| Mabuiag | |
| Region | Western and Central Torres Strait Islands, Queensland |
| Ethnicity | Badu Island, Mabuiag, Kaurareg, Mualgal, Saibai Island, Boigu, Dauan Island, Kulkalgal, Maluigal (Torres Strait Islanders) |
Native speakers | 888 (2021 census)[1] |
Pama–Nyungan
| |
| Dialects |
|
| Western Torres Strait Islander Sign Language | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | mwp |
| Glottolog | kala1377 |
| AIATSIS[2] | Y1 |
| ELP | Kalaw Kawaw Ya |
| Linguasphere | 29-RG(A-a) |
 Range of Kalau Lagau Ya (orange) in the Torres Strait | |
Kalau Lagau Ya, Kalaw Lagaw Ya, Kala Lagaw Ya ([kala(u) laɡau ja]), or the Western Torres Strait language (also several other names, see below) is the language indigenous to the central and western Torres Strait Islands, Queensland, Australia. On some islands, it has now largely been replaced by Torres Strait Creole.
Before colonization in the 1870s–1880s, the language was the major lingua franca of the Torres Strait cultural area of Northern Cape York Australia, Torres Strait and along the coast of the Western Province/Papua New Guinea. It is still fairly widely spoken by neighbouring Papuans and by some Aboriginal Australians. How many non-first language speakers it has is unknown. It also has a 'light' (simplified/foreigner) form, as well as a pidginised form. The simplified form is fairly prevalent on Badu and neighbouring Moa.
Names
The language is known by several names besides Kalaw Lagaw Ya, most of which (including Kalaw Lagaw Ya) are names of dialects, spelling variants, dialect variants and the like — and include translations of the English terms, Western Island Language and Central Island Language:
| Language name (with regional and spelling variants) | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
Kalaw Lagaw Ya / Kalau Lagau Ya / Kala Lagaw Ya |
Western Island Language | |
| Lagaw Ya / Lagau Ya | Home Island Language | |
|
Langgus |
Language, Lingo | |
| Kaywalgaw Ya / Kaiwaligau Ya / Kawalgaw Ya | Islanders' Language | |
| Kowrareg (Kaurareg) | Islander | |
| Kulkalgau Ya | Blood-Peoples' Language | kulka 'blood' was an important Central Islands cult figure, and brother to Malo-Bumai of Mer. |
| Mabuiag/Mabuyag | Mabuiag Island and Badu Island[3] | |
|
Westen |
Western Torres Strait | |
|
Dhadhalagau Ya |
Mid-Island, Central Island Language |
One term used by Eastern Islanders and neighbouring Papuans for Kala Lagaw Ya is Yagar Yagar, from the word yagar (yá 'speech, etc.' + gár 'sympathy clitic' ('dear', 'please', etc.), often used by Western and Central Islanders in speech to show a sympathetic or nostalgic frame of mind.
In literature on the language the abbreviations KLY (Kalaw Lagaw Ya), KKY (Kalau Kawau Ya), KulY (Kulkalgau Ya), MY (Muwalgau Ya) and KY (Kaiwaligau Ya) are often used as abbreviations. The name Mabuiag /mabujaɡ/, in English pronounced /ˈmoʊbiæɡ/, is fairly widespread as a name for the language, this having been established by the Cambridge Expedition to Torres Strait, whose main research on the language was with Mabuiag material. Though the preferred term in English in Academia for some time was Kala Lagaw Ya,[4] according to Ober, the form was always regarded as "colloquial" by native speakers.[citation needed] In a High Court decision on 7 August 2013, the decision was taken to officially term the language Kalau Lagau Ya, using the formal form.[citation needed]
When speaking to each other, speakers generally refer to the language as Langgus 'language' or use phrases such as KLY/KulY ngalpudh muli, MY-KY ngalpudh/ngalpadh muli, KKY ngalpadh muliz "speak(s) our language", e.g. KLY/KulY ngalpudh muuli, thanamunungu tidailai!, MY-KY ngalpudh/ngalpadh muuli, thanamuningu tidailai!, KKY ngalpadh muli, thanamulngu tidaile! 'Speak in our language so they don't understand!'. Ngalpudh/ngalpadh literally means 'like us'. The construction X-dh mula+i- 'speak X-like' is used to refer to speaking in a language, e.g. KKY markaidh muliz 'speak English', zapanisadh muliz 'speak Japanese', dhaudhalgadh muliz 'speak Papuan', mœyamadh muliz 'speak Meriam Mìr', thanamudh muliz 'speak like them, speak their language'. It is otherwise common for speakers to use nominal phrases like KLY/KulY ngalpun ya, MY-KY ngalpun/ngalpan ya, KKY ngalpan ya 'our language' to refer to the language when speaking to each other.
Geographic distribution
Kalau Lagau Ya is spoken on the western and central islands of Torres Strait, between Papua New Guinea (Naigay Dœgam Dhaudhai "North-side Mainland/Continent", also called Mœgi Dhaudhai "Small Mainland/Continent", KKY Mœgina Dhaudhai) and the Australian mainland (Zey Dœgam Dhaudhai "South-side Mainland/Continent", also known as Kœi Dhaudhai "Big Mainland/Continent"), though on some islands it has now been largely replaced by Brokan (Torres Strait Creole).
There is some folk history evidence that the language was spoken as a first language in a few villages neighbouring Torres Strait in Papua. It was also formerly spoken by the Hiámo (Hiámu, Hiáma) of Daru (Dhaaru) to the north-east of Torres Strait, who were originally settlers from Yama in Torres Strait, Hiámu/Hiámo/Hiáma being a Kiwai pronunciation of Yama. The main body of the Hiámo moved to the Thursday Island group to escape the Kiwai colonisation of Daru some centuries ago.
Classification and external comparison
The language is classified as being part of the Pama–Nyungan languages. Mitchell regard it as a mixed language with an Australian core (Pama–Nyungan) and Papuan and Austronesian overlays,[6] while Capell and Dixon classify it among the Papuan languages. The personal pronouns are typically Australian, most kin terms are Papuan, and significant sea/canoe and agricultural vocabulary is Austronesian.[7]
Kalaw Lagaw Ya has only 6% cognation with its closest Australian neighbour, Urradhi, with a further 5% 'common' vocabulary (loans of various origins) — and about 40% common vocabulary with its Papuan neighbour, Meriam Mìr.[8] Of 279 Proto-Paman forms only 18.9% have definite realisations in Kalaw Lagaw Ya, with a further 2.5% which may be present.[9] One word that illustrates the problems of 'may-be' relationship is kùlbai (KKY kùlba) 'old', which may be a metathetic realisation of CA *bulgan 'big; old'. Potentially 80% of the vocabulary of the language is non-Australian, and includes Papuan and Austronesian items.[citation needed] Bouckaert, Bowern and Atkinson (2018) found that Kalaw Lagaw Ya had the highest number of 'unique' (that is, non-Pama-Nyungan) forms of any Australian language in their sample.[10]
| Australian (Common Australian) |
Papuan (Proto–East Trans-Fly) |
Austronesian (Proto–Central District) |
|---|---|---|
| *nya-ga 'look' nagai-/nage-/nagi- id. |
*nyily 'name' nel id. |
*gamo 'belly' gamu 'body' |
| *jana 'they' thana id. |
*p- 'that, there' pi-/pe- 'specifically yonder' |
*aura 'trade wind, south-east trades' wœur(a) id. |
| *ganyarra 'reptile' kœnara 'k.o. tree snake' |
*gabo 'cold' gabu id. |
*boro-ma 'pig' bùrùm(a) id. |
| *galga 'spear' kœlak(a) id. |
*biro 'side' bero 'rib; side of boat, hillside, river bank, etc.' |
*pui 'magic' puy(i) (older puuři) 'magic, plant' |
Oral tradition and cultural evidence recorded by Haddon and Laade,[11] backed by archaeological evidence[citation needed] and linguistic evidence, shows that Austronesian trade and settlement in South-West Papua, Torres Strait and Cape York occurred; the languages have significant Austronesian vocabulary content,[citation needed] including items such as the following:
| Kalaw Lagaw Ya | meaning | Meriam Mìr | meaning | Bine (Papua) |
meaning | Proto-Oceanic Austronesian |
meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| maapu | heavy | (beberbeber) | id. | mæpu | id. | *mapa | id. |
| maalu | deep, deep water, sea, deep water beyond edge of reef~shallows | malo | id. | malu | id. | *mwaloq | submerged rock~reef (where it disappears into sea depths) |
| laba- | cut, hack, strike (human) | --- | --- | --- | --- | *la(m)pak | strike (as with sword or flat weapon), slam something down, slap |
| wœiwi | mango | waiwi | Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=Kalaw_Kawaw_Ya