Languages of the Kimberley region

Abstract

Abstract The Kimberley region of Western Australia is one of the most linguistically diverse areas on the Australian continent, traditionally home to over 40 languages. This chapter introduces the history and sociolinguistic setting of the region and the body of linguistic research on Kimberley languages, which only dates back a little over a century. It surveys the five language families of the Kimberley region, viz. (from West to East) Nyulnyulan, Worrorran, Bunuban, Jarrakan, and Pama-Nyungan, and sketches the main aspects of their verbal, nominal, and morphosyntactic typology. This includes examples of complex verbs and inflection types, nominal classification and clause types. The chapter concludes with a discussion of speech styles and avoidance language in the Kimberley and highlights several questions for future research.