Malak-Malak (also spelt Mullukmulluk, Malagmalag), also known as Ngolak-Wonga (Nguluwongga), is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Mulluk-Mulluk people. Malakmalak is nearly extinct, with children growing up speaking Kriol or English instead. The language is spoken in the Daly River area around Woolianna and Nauiyu. The Kuwema or Tyaraity (Tyeraty) variety is distinct.

Classification

Malakmalak was formerly classified as an independent member of the Northern Daly languages and is considered a language isolate. Along with the "Anson Bay" group of Wagaydy (Patjtjamalh, Wadjiginy, Kandjerramalh) and the unattested Giyug. Green concluded that Wagaydy and Malakmalak were two separate language families. Some later classifications have linked them such as Bowern (2011). However, the Wagaydy people are recent arrivals in the area, and their language may only similar due to borrowing. AIATSIS and Glottolog both treat Wagaydy as an isolate and Giyug as unclassifiable. In contemporary usage, "Northern Daly" (e.g. Harvey 2003, Cahir 2006, Nordlinger 2017 ) most often refers specifically to the group of languages which includes Malakmalak and Tyerraty (also known as Guwema), a variety with which MalakMalak differs significantly in vocabulary (65% according to Tryon's 200 word list), but is very close to morphologically.

Phonology

Vowels

Consonants

Plosives /p t c k/ may be heard as voiced as [b d ɟ ɡ] when intervocalic.

Typological classification

MalakMalak, is an ergative-absolutive language with constituent order mainly determined by information structure and prosody, but syntactically free. Marking of core-cases is optional. The language is mostly dependent-marking (1), but also has no marking (2) and head-marking features (3). Doro-ngayi muyiny name-3SG.F dog "Doro's dog" meldaty ada tjung yintjerrik trip 1SG.EXCL.go.PST stick small.M "I tripped on the little stick" ngatj yunu tjinang pak-ma nende wag puyunduk-nana EMPH 3SG.M.sit.PST stay.give sit-CONT thing/person water underneath-LOC "he sits down underneath the water"

Morphosyntactic properties

MalakMalak's verb phrase uses complex predicates. These consist of an inflecting verb that has properties of person, number and tense. MalakMalak only has six such verbs. In example (4), yuyu and vida are inflecting verbs. Additionally, there are coverbs which have aspectual properties, but do not inflect for number, tense or person. They occur with inflecting verbs. They are unlimited in number and new verbs are also borrowed into this class. In (4), kubuk-karrarr, dat-tyed, and ka are coverbs. They can also form serial verbs (kubuk-karrarr, dat-tyed). "he crossed the river and looked once, then he came here"

Spatial Language

MalakMalak employs all three "classic" types of spatial Frames of Reference: intrinsic, relative and absolute. Additionally, the language uses place names and body-part orientation to talk about space. The intrinsic Frame requires some kind of portioning of the ground object or landmark into named facets from which search domains can be projected. In English this would be, for example, the tree is in front of the man. And in MalakMalak it would be (5). tjung angundu-na muyu tree behind-LOC 3SG.N*.stand.PST "the tree was behind (the man)" The relative Frame of Reference involves mapping from the observer's own axes (front, back, left, right) onto the ground object. An English example is the ball is on the right. In MalakMalak it would be (6) yerra tjalmiyiny dek kantjuk purrat-ma wuta now right place up/upwards jump-CONT 3SG.N.go.PST "now the ball was on the right, jumping up (lit. jumping in an upward place on the right)" The absolute Frame of Reference requires xed bearings that are instantly available to all members of the community. An English example is the opera is west of here. In MalakMalak, three different types of absolute frames can be used. Those based on the course of the sun (east/west) (7a), on prevailing winds (northwesterly/southeasterly) (7b), and on two sides of the prominent Daly River (northeastern/southwestern bank) (7c). miri tjalk-ma yina, yina miri paiga-ma sun go.down-CONT this this sun go.up-CONT "this one is west and this one is east" Waliwali-nen pudang tjedali yuyu nul-yen pudang tjedali yuyu Daly.River-DIR face.towards stand.PART 3SG.M.stand.PRS northwesterly-DIR face.towards stand.part 3SG.M.stand.PRS "one is facing the river and the other one is facing northwest" "it is underneath, on the northeastern bank's side, of the chair"

Vocabulary

Tryon (1968)

The following basic vocabulary items of Northern Daly language varieties, including Malak-Malak (or Mullukmulluk), are from Tryon (1968). ! no. !! gloss !! Mullukmulluk !! Djeraity

Blake (1981)

Below is a basic vocabulary list from Blake (1981). ! English !! Malak-Malak