Manyjilyjarra dialect

Manyjilyjarra (Manjiljarra, Mandjildjara) is generally considered a dialect of the Western Desert language.

It is often classified as a distinct language among the Wati languages of the large Pama–Nyungan family of Australia.

It is one of the components of the Martu Wangka koine.

Sign language
Most of the peoples of central Australia have (or at one point had) signed forms of their languages. Among the Western Desert peoples, sign language has been reported specifically for Manjiljarra, though it is not clear from records how well developed it was.

Phonology
OBJ:object SIM:similar TAG:question tag

Vowels

 * has allophones or  in free variation. Mainly as  in stressed syllables, and as  in word-final position.
 * has the allophones or  in free variation. When following or preceding velar consonants, it may be realized as.
 * is typically pronounced as or  in free variation. When in unstressed syllables, it can be pronounced as . When following the glide  or a labial or velar consonant, it can be realized as . When following palatal consonants, it can be realized as  or . When preceding glides /, /, it may be heard with vowel off-glides as.
 * The phoneme sequence may be realized as a mid-close front long sound.

Consonants

 * Stops /,, , , / have voiced allophones [, , , , ] when following nasal sounds, or may be heard as voiced in free variation when following approximant sounds. Voiced stop allophones [, , ] may alternate with voiced fricative allophones [, , ] in intervocalic positions.
 * Palatal sounds /, / may alternate with laminal-alveolar sounds [, ] when before /, / in word-initial position.
 * When preceding a word-final, most consonant sounds occur as rounded.
 * is typically heard as a trill [], and is mostly heard as a flap in word-medial or intervocalic positions. In word-final positions, it is commonly heard as a voiceless trill.