Marrithiyel language

Marrithiyel (Marithiel, also Maridhiel, Maridhiyel), also known as Berringen (Bringen, Brinken), is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Marrithiyal people.

Marrithiyel
Berringen
Native to	Australia
Region	Daly River
Ethnicity	Marrithiyal people, Marimanindji, Maridan, Mariamo, Maridjabin, Marijedi
Native speakers	15 (2016 census)[1]
Language family	Western Daly Marrithiyel
Dialects	Marri Ammu Marritjevin Marridan Marramanindjdji Marrithiyel
Language codes
ISO 639-3	Variously: mfr – Marrithiyel xru – Marriammu zmj – Maridjabin zmd – Maridan zmm – Marimanindji zmy – Mariyedi
Glottolog	mari1420
AIATSIS[2]	N7
ELP	Marrithiyel
	Marriammu[3]
	Maridjabin[4]
	Maridan[5]
	Marimanindji[6]
	Mariyedi[7]

Dialects besides Marrithiyel proper are Nganygit, Marri Amu (Marriammu, Mare-Ammu), Maridjabin (Maredyerbin, Maretyabin, Maridyerbin, Maritjabin), Marridan (Meradan), Marramanindjdji (Marramaninydyi, Marimanindji), and Mariyedi.^[2]

The Marri Amu dialect is part of a language revival project to save critically endangered languages. As of 2020^[update], Marri Amu is one of 20 languages prioritised as part of the Priority Languages Support Project, being undertaken by First Languages Australia and funded by the Department of Communications and the Arts. The project aims to "identify and document critically-endangered languages — those languages for which little or no documentation exists, where no recordings have previously been made, but where there are living speakers".^[8]

Sounds

Consonants

	Labial	Velar	Dental/ Alveolar	Palatal/ Retroflex
Stop	p	k	t	c
Nasal	m	ŋ	n	ɲ
Fricative			θ	ʂ
Trill/Flap			ɾ~r
Lateral			l
Approximant	w		ɹ̠	j

• Retroflex sounds /ɳ ɭ/ may have also been recorded.
• Alveolar sound /t/ may also be heard as [ʈ].
• A dental fricative /θ/ can also be heard as a stop [t̪].

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
High	i		u
Mid	ɛ	(ɜ)
Low		a

• An additional central vowel [ɜ] is also heard among dialects.
• /i u/ can also be heard as [ɪ ʊ].
• /u/ may also have an allophone of [ɔ].
• /a/ can have front and central allophones of [a ɒ].^[9]