Maung language


Maung is an Australian aboriginal language spoken by the Maung people on the Goulburn Islands, off the north coast of Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia. Maung is closely related to Iwaidja language which occupies the northwestern corner of the opposite mainland. This is a language that belongs to the Iwaidjan language family of Non-Pama–Nyungan languages. As of 2016, there were 370 speakers of the language.
Study of Maung has developed to the point where a dictionary, grammar and portions of the Bible are available. Maung is taught in local schools alongside English and other languages such as Iwaidja or Kunwinjku. Children are still acquiring it as a first language, making it somewhat healthier than most other aboriginal languages.

Phonology

Consonant inventory
Vowel inventory
FrontCentralBack
Highiu
Midɛɔ
Lowa

The phonemic inventories provided here are from Capell's well-known 1970 work on Maung. More recent papers have only two rhotics to Capell's three. Teo lacks the alveolar flap, and Singer the retroflex flap.

Grammar

Maung has five grammatical genders: masculine, feminine, vegetation, land, and edible.

Alternative names