Pitta Pitta (also known by several other names and spellings) is an extinct Australian Aboriginal language. It was spoken around Boulia, Queensland.
Status In 1979, Barry J. Blake reported that Pitta Pitta was "virtually extinct", with only three speakers remaining – Ivy Nardoo of Boulia, and Ted Marshall and Linda Craigie of Mount Isa. It is now considered unlikely that any speakers remain.
Phonology Vowels FrontCentralBackHigh Low
Consonants PeripheralLaminalApicalLabialVelarDentalPalatalAlveolarRetroflexPlosiveNasalLateralTap/TrillApproximant
Vocabulary Below is a basic vocabulary list from Blake (1981).
{| class="wikitable sortable" ! English !! Pitta-Pitta |- | man || |- | woman || |- | mother || |- | father || |- | head || karti |- | eye || miyi |- | nose || milya |- | ear || ngarra |- | mouth || parla |- | tongue || ṯarli |- | tooth || mirlka |- | hand || mara |- | breast || kaputyu |- | stomach || ngampa |- | urine || purra |- | faeces || kuna |- | thigh || marla |- | foot || ṯina |- | bone || pirna |- | blood || kimpa |- | dog || piyawarli |- | snake || kaṯi |- | kangaroo || kulipila |- | possum || ṯinapali |- | fish || kupi |- | spider || kupu |- | mosquito || kuṉṯi |- | emu || warrukatyi |- | eaglehawk || kurriṯala |- | crow || wakiri |- | sun || warlka |- | moon || tyangi |- | star || tyinpi |- | stone || tipu |- | water || ngapu |- | camp || ngurra |- | fire || maka |- | smoke || kuṯu |- | food || yaṉṯurru |- | meat || kaṯi |- | stand || ṯarrka |- | sit || ṉangka |- | see || ṉatyi |- | go || karnta |- | get || marri |- | hit || piṯi |- | I || ngantya |- | you || inpa |- | one || ngururu |- | two || parrkula
Pituri The name pituri for the leaves chewed as a stimulant by traditional Aboriginal people has been claimed to be derived from the Pitta Pitta word . though Walter Roth pointed out in 1897 that the word 'pituri', thus pronounced, was the term used by the neighbouring Yurlayurlanya people, and added that the Pitta Pitta people called it "".
Sign language The Pitta Pitta had a well-developed signed form of their language.
References
Further reading
External links Bibliography of Pitta Pitta people and language resources, at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies