The Kimberley, the far north-west of Australia, is one of the most linguistically diverse regions of the continent. Some fifty-five Aboriginal languages belonging to five different families are spoken within its borders. Few of these languages are currently being passed on to children, most of whom speak Kriol (a new language that arose about half a century ago from an earlier Pidgin English) or Aboriginal English (a dialect of English) as their mother tongue and usual language of communication. This book describes the Aboriginal languages spoken today and in the recent past in this region. The main features are of their grammars are outlined, including their sounds and word and sentence structures. In addition, there is discussion of how they are related to one another, how they were and are used in conversational interactions, and their roles and uses in traditional and modern speech communities.

William B. McGregor is Professor of Linguistics at Aarhus University. He has studied Kimberley languages for more than two decades, publishing grammatical descriptions of four, and articles on a variety of topics including their grammar, history, semantics and discourse organisation.

List of tables List of figures List of plates List of maps Preface Acknowledgements Abbreviations 1. Introduction 2. Survey of Kimberley Languages 3. Language in Kimberley Aboriginal Societies 4. Phonetics and Phonology 5. Fundamental Concepts of Grammar 6. Pronouns and Determiners 7. Nominals and Noun Phrases 8. Verbs and Verbal Constructions 9. Vocabulary and Meaning 10. Clauses and Sentences 11. Text and Discourse 12. Grammar in Language use 13. Conclusion Languages and Sources References Index of authors Index of languages Index of subjects