The Yura or Thura-Yura languages are a group of Australian Aboriginal languages surrounding Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent in South Australia, that comprise a genetic language family of the Pama–Nyungan family.

Name

The name Yura comes from the word for "person" in the northern languages; this is a lenited form of the thura found in other languages, hence Thura-Yura. Similar words for "person" are found in languages outside the group, however (for example 'yura' - 'person' in the Sydney language).

Thura-Yura languages

Languages

The following classification is proposed by Bowern & Koch (2004): Nangga: Wirangu, Nauo Core Thura-Yura Yura (northern): Adnyamathanha–Kuyani, Barngarla Kadli (southern): Narangga, Kaurna (unclassified) Nukunu, Ngadjuri

Thura-Yura languages

A Nukunu speaker reported that the Nukunu could understand Barngarla and Kuyani, but not more distant varieties.

Thura-Yura languages

Peramangk may have been a southern Thura-Yura language, close to Kaurna.

Dixon (2002) lists a Nantuwara language, but there is no data for it.

Proto-language

Reconstructed Thura-Yura vocabulary by Simpson and Hercus (2004):

Spelling conventions

alveolar tap: r

alveolar trill: rr

retroflex glide: ṟ

retroflex tap: rd

indeterminate rhotic: R

References

Indigenous Australian languages in South Australia