The Warlpiri language, sometimes referred to as Yapa, is a member of the Ngumpin-Yapa subgroup of the Pama-Nyungan family of languages. It is spoken by roughly 3,000 people out of a total Warlpiri population of 5,000–6,000 and it remains a vital part of the cultural identity of the Warlpiri people. 

Warlpiri has four main dialects: Yuendumu Warlpiri (spoken in the southwest), Willowra Warlpiri (central area around the Lander River), Lajamanu Warlpiri (the northern dialect) and Wakirti Warlpiri (the eastern dialect, spoken on the Hanson River). Most Warlpiri speakers are bilingual or multilingual, with English typically being their second, third, fourth, or even fifth language. The younger generation at Lajamanu has developed a new language called ‘Light Warlpiri’, which combines elements of Warlpiri, English, and Kriol.

Language family

Warlpiri is a Pama-Nyungan language. In the following website you can find its detailed phylogenetic tree.

Linguistic Structures

Warlpiri has a flexible word order due to its use of case marking, which indicates the grammatical roles of words in a sentence (such as subject, object, etc.). This means that sentences can often be rearranged without changing their meaning.

In addition, Warlpiri has a fascinating counting system that does not rely on traditional numbers. For a brief and insightful explanation, you can check out the following video.

Some examples of the language

1. Yapa-ngku nyina-mi yapa-ngku-juku.

   person-ERG sit-PROG person-ERG-still

   ‘The person is still sitting.’

    

2. Ngaju-nyangu jinta-kari-ji ngarrka.

   I-POSS one-OTHER-ERG man

   ‘My other man (husband).’

    

3. Ngaju-nyangu-jana jurnta-mi-ya-nganta.

   I-POSS-3PL catch-PROG-HORT-EMPH

   ‘I am trying to catch them.’