Biri (tongue)

The language, along with closely related languages, Varungu, Binda, Jura, Bidyara, etc., belongs to the Mar group of the Pam-Nyung family of languages. This language was spoken in Queensland, southeast of the city of Charters Towers .

There is no reliable information on the media that has survived to this day. By the 70s, less than ten people knew the language. Currently, all the remaining representatives of the Biri people, without exception, use the English language. Researchers (for example, Angela Terril) are inclined to believe that at the moment the language should be considered extinct.

Until the middle of the 20th century, several tribes spoke the Biri language: Biri, Virri, Yangga, Yambina, Barada, Yetimarala, Gangulu and Garinbal, the linguistic variation among which was small. Biri was the most famous of these tribes among Europeans. That is why the name of the language is taken from this tribe.

Type of expression of grammatical meanings and nature of the boundary between morphemes

By the type of connections between morphemes, Biri, like other Australian languages, is an agglutinative language. Each morpheme corresponds to one value. However, there are some elements of fusion. So, for example, in the form of ŋadyu "me" the dative case indicator "ŋu" merged with the base. There are zero morphemes.

Marking Type

Dependent marking is represented in the name group.

gunhami yamba bunbun-gu

this is a pheasant nest

The dependent word is marked with a special possessive case. (Compare section noun)

In the verb group, labeling is also dependent . There is a well-developed case system.

Role Encoding Type

Role coding is different for nouns and pronouns.

Nouns

Ergative type of role coding is characteristic for nouns.

gunharni burl ganda-lba-oza-la

that-ABS flre-ABS burn-CONT-PRES-3sgS / A

that fire is burning

wandi waga wanydya-li

dog-abs run go-past

the dog ran away

gunharni-ŋgu gayu-ŋgu yaba-nha-la-ogu manhdha ozali-ŋu

that-ERG woman-ERG give-FUT-3sgS / A-1duDAT food-ABS

that woman will give us food

Pronouns

Pronouns, unlike nouns, are marked by a nominative-accusative type.

narri banbana-nda yinda oadyuna wara-lba-nha-nda

name-ABS call-2sgS / A 2sgS / A Isg / Acc be-CONT-FUT-2sgS / A

Basic Word Order

Biri has a free word order, which complicates its typological characterization. Almost all possible types of basic word order are recorded. The SVO order is a bit more common, and it can be taken as the base.

ŋaya yidhirra-ŋ-aya dhagaoy-mu

lsgS / A afraid-PRES-JsgS / A crocodile-ABL

I'm afraid of crocodiles

The syntax within a noun group is also relatively free.

Phonology and Spelling

Vowels

• Vowels in primordial words have no contrast in longitude. Long consonants are found only in a few borrowed words.
• The stress falls on the first syllable. In polysyllabic words, secondary stress falls on the third syllable.
• The syllable has a relatively simple structure. Blatant syllables are forbidden.

Morphology

Nouns

There are nine cases in the Biri language: absolute, ergative, locative, instrumentalis, squinting, dative and commitive.

Instrumentalis

In the form of instrumentalis, as in many other Australian languages, it coincides with the ergative. However, in their semantics, these two cases are different. First, only ergative can mark agent. Secondly, the noun phrase marked with instrumentalis most often precedes the predicate, and the noun phrase marked with ergative most often follows it. Examples:

oanhi wara-mba-Ii-nda balgu-ŋgu

what be-CAUS-PAST-2duS / A ax-INSTR

what did you do with that ax?

ŋaya bari yaga-mba-1-aya mala-ŋgu wurrayi-nha-gu, baoga-Ja dhina-ŋunda

lsgS / A stone-ABS rise-CAUS-PAST-lsgS / A hand-INSTR take- FUT-PURP fall-3sgS / A foot-SUPER

I picked up a stone with my hand, and he fell on my leg.

Dative

Dative is expressed by the ending [-gu]. Example of the use of the dative case :

Allative (denotes the final point of action).

Having listened (indicates the belonging of a certain object to the subject standing in this form.)

Locative

The local case shows the location of the subject indicated by the noun. Expressed by the ending [-ŋga].

Commitive

Semblativ

Number Category

Only one token has a category number.

yalu baby yalu-riny children

All other nouns in the category of numbers do not have.

Pronouns

Pronouns in the Biri language, in contrast to nouns, have a nominatively accusative type of role coding.

narri banbana-nda yinda oadyuna wara-lba-nha-nda

name-ABS call-2sgS / A 2sgS / A Isg / Acc be-CONT-FUT-2sgS / A

call me by name if you want me to come (ext. if you want me)

Pronouns have both free forms and related forms, acting as affixes in the predicate. The choice of form depends on the syntactic accent.

nhula yama-li-na guya

3sgS / A tell-PAST-lsgO bad

he told me something bad

banhdhu-nh-aya-ŋga bari-ŋgu

hit-FUT-lsgS / A + 3sgO stone-INSTR

I will hit this stone

Verbs

The verb in the biri language consists of a root and a combination of several suffixes:

1) thematic element 2) aspectual, temporal or imperative indicator 3) “related pronouns”

There are no different types of conjugation in biri, which is quite unusual for Australian languages.

Time

Verb aspect

In the Biri language, two aspects are distinguished:

• The dural aspect. Indicates an action at the time it is committed.

gunhami munda wuna-lba-ua-la gunha-mbarru

that-ABS snake-ABS rest-CONT-PRES-3sgS / A that-side

That snake lies there.

• Habitualis . A feature of habitat in the Biri language is its semantics, which means not just a repeating action, but an action characteristic of a given object.

gara wara-mba-dyi-ya baladha gunharni yarna

NEG be-CAUS-CHAR-lsgS / A boat-ABS that way

I do not build boats this way.

Also sometimes the aspect is sometimes referred to as a form, which in the English literature is called “near miss“ aspect ”, which denotes an action whose consequences could, but did not cause, serious harm. Since this form carries not only a description, but also an assessment of the action, it should most likely be referred to a modality system rather than an aspectual system. Example.

munda-ogu badha-li-oga wula-rni-la oadyu yabuna, gani

snake-ERG bite-PAST-3sg0 1sgDAT father-ABS nearly die-NEARL Y-3sgS / A

The snake bit his father, and he almost died.

Inclination

Imperative mood

It is expressed by a zero indicator.

yinda gabari-0-nda gunhagu

2sgS / A hide-IMP-2sgS / A

hide here

Desired mood

Expressed by the indicator / -gu- /

ŋaya yani-gu yuri-gu

lsgS / A go-PURP meat-OAT

I want to go hunting.

Syntax

Biri has a free word order, which complicates its typological characterization. The SVO order is a bit more common, and it can be taken as the base. The syntax inside the noun group is also free.

• Terrill, Angela. Biri . Lincom Europa, 1998.
• Dixon, RMW Australian Languages . Cambridge University Press, 2004.

Biri language in Ethnologue. Languages ​​of the World .