Alyawarr Dictionary

A dictionary of the Alyawarr language from central Australia (with audio)

Alyawarr (ISO code: aly) is the name of the language and of the people whose traditional lands lie in the northeastern parts of the Central Australia. Although there are no hard and fast geographical boundaries, the Alyawarr region includes country crossed by the Sandover River, which, after heavy rains, flows in a north-easterly direction towards Queensland. Alyawarr country extends towards the Plenty Highway in the south and the Barkly Highway in the north.

The neighbours of the Alyawarr are the Eastern Anmatyerr, Akarre (Arrernte) and Eastern Arrernte in the south, the Kaytetye, Central Anmatyerr and Warlpiri to the west, and the Warumungu and Akay (Wakay) to the north. In the Utopia homelands in the Sandover region Eastern Anmatyerr shares many words and grammatical features with Alyawarr, and in some of the outstations and communities found there both Alyawarr and Eastern Anmatyerr are spoken. Alyawarr people hold freehold title or recognised Native Title rights to parts of their traditional lands, whilst others have smaller excisions from pastoral properties or title to land located on stock routes. Many Alyawarr people live in small communities or outstations located on these traditional lands. Others live in communities such as Ilperrelhelam (Lake Nash), Camooweal, Mt. Isa, Amameny (Urandangie), Tennant Creek and Alice Springs.

A language census conducted by the Northern Territory Education Department in 2003 documented a total of 1,500 fluent speakers of the Alyawarr language (Hoogenraad and Thornley 2003:2). The 2011 census puts the number of Alyawarr speakers as closer to 1,800. In addition to those who speak Alyawarr as their first language there are others in communities adjacent to the Alyawarr region who have significant knowledge of Alyawarr, and may speak it or hear it as a second or even third language.

There is a comprehensive print version of this dictionary, published by IAD Press (https://iadpress.com/). It complements this app, and we recommend students of Alyawarr use both formats together.