Peramangk, also known as Merildekald, is an extinct Pama-Nyungan language of the Peramangk lands in South Australia.[1] Like its congener the Kaurna language, it was previously listed as endangered.[2]

Peramangk
Merildakald
RegionSouth Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges
EthnicityPeramangk
Extinct(date missing)
Language codes
ISO 639-3None (mis)
AIATSIS[1]S5

History

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Many Peramangk place names, cultural practices and dreamtime character names are well known. A proportion of the vocabulary and grammatical elements of the language may potentially be shared[3] with Kaurna language as well as Nganguruku language, and to some extent the Ngarrindjeri and Ngadjuri languages among others. Some elements of the Peramangk language may be considered distinctive from Kaurna. Peramangk language may be held dear by Peramangk elders, and hence it was cited that a Peramangk descendant is collecting and compiling language data.[4] It is likely that Peramangk elders knew each of the surrounding languages, as surrounding tribes often met on Peramangk land at their invitation.[5]

A work compiled by The Lutheran Missionary Society within a short period after colonisation of mainland South Australia constitutes a reference manual for the Kaurna language and hence also for the Peramangk language, and the content of an available downloadable version is entirely searchable by text[6] so serving as a handy resource for all ages.

References

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  1. ^ a b S5 Peramangk at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
  2. ^ "Kaurna [aka Kaura, Coorna, Koornawarra]". Endangered Languages Project. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  3. ^ "Peramangk A Social History of the Aboriginal People of the Southern Mount Lofty Ranges (2011)" (PDF). Phasai at Deviantart. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  4. ^ "Austlag AIATSIS S5 - Peramangk". collection.aiatsis.gov.au. Director, Collection Development and Management, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, GPO Box 553, Canberra ACT 2601 Australia. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  5. ^ Coles, Robin; Hunter, Richard (2010), The ochre warriors : Peramangk culture and rock art in the Mount Lofty Ranges / Robin Coles, Richard Hunter, Axiom
  6. ^ Teichelmann, C. G.; C. W. Schürmann (1840). Outlines of a grammar, vocabulary and phraseology of the Aboriginal language of South Australia spoken by the natives in and for some distance around Adelaide. Lutheran Missionary Society, Adelaide.