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The Lamalama language, also known by the clan name Mbarrumbathama (Austlang) or Mba Rumbathama, formerly known as Lamu-Lamu or Lama-Lama, is a Paman language of Queensland, Australia. Lamalama is one of four languages once spoken by the Lamalama people, the others being Morrobolam (Umbuygamu), Mbariman-Gudinhma, and Umpithamu.

Naming and language relationships

In January 2019, the ISO database changed its reference name to Lamalama, from Lamu-Lamu. As of August 2020, Glottolog calls it Lamalama, while AIATSIS' Austlang database thesaurus heading is Mbarrumbathama language.

Austlang says, quoting linguist Jean-Cristophe Verstraete (2018), that Lamalama, Rimanggudinhma (Mbariman-Gudhinma) and Morrobolam form a genetic subgroup of Paman known as Lamalamic, "defined by shared innovations in phonology and morphology". Within this subgroup, "Morrobolam and Lamalama form a phonologically innovative branch, while Rumanggudinhma forms a more conservative branch".

Phonology

Consonants

• Voiceless fricative sounds /ɸ, θ, ɕ, h/ are heard as voiced when in consonant clusters and in intervocalic positions.
• Fricatives /θ, ɕ/ can be heard as laminal and alveolar fricatives when in word-initial position in free variation among speakers.
• /h/ can be heard as [x] when in word-initial position in free variation among speakers.
• The fricative trill /r̝/ is also heard as voiceless [r̝̥] in free variation in initial positions.
• The trill sound /r/ can be heard as voiceless [r̥] when in word-final contexts.
• All labial consonants can also be labialized optionally within the onset of stressed syllables, or when after high-back vowel sounds.
• Consonant lengthening can be heard within the onset of stressed syllables.

Vowels

Lamalama's vowels do not show contrastive length. There are two diphthongs, /ia/ and /ua/. /ia/ can raise to , and /ua/ can raise to .

Further reading

• Verstraete, Jean-Cristophe (June 2018). "The Genetic Status of Lamalamic: Phonological and Morphological Evidence". Oceanic Linguistics. 57 (1): 1–30. doi:10.1353/ol.2018.0000. hdl:1885/255113. S2CID 149913795.

Notes

1. "Census 2016, Language spoken at home by Sex (SA2+)". stat.data.abs.gov.au. ABS. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
2. Y136 Lamalama at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
3. Crump, Des (20 July 2020). "Language of the Week: Week Eight - Lamalama". State Library Of Queensland. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
4. "lby". ISO 639-3. 25 January 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
5. "4.2.1 - Lamalama". Glottolog (in Javanese). Retrieved 7 August 2020.
6. "Y136: Mbarrumbathama". AIATSIS Collection: AUSTLANG. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
7. "Y55: Morrobolam". AIATSIS Collection (Austlang). 26 July 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
8. Verstraete 2019, p. 266.
9. Verstraete 2019, p. 273.
10. ^ Verstraete 2019, p. 272.
11. Verstraete 2019, p. 275.
12. Verstraete 2019, p. 276.
13. Verstraete 2019, pp. 277–279.
14. Verstraete 2019, pp. 276–277.
15. Verstraete 2019, p. 279.
16. Verstraete 2019, p. 280-281.
17. Verstraete 2019, p. 280.
18. Verstraete 2019, p. 281.
19. Verstraete 2019, p. 282.

References

• Verstraete, Jean-Cristophe (2019). "Mbarrumbathama (Lamalama)". Journal of the International Phonetic Association. 49 (2): 265–288. doi:10.1017/S0025100318000105. S2CID 263081044.

• Paman languages
• Extinct languages of Queensland