Macro-Pama–Nyungan languages
Macro-Pama-Nyungan is an umbrella term used to refer to a proposed Indigenous Australian language family. It was coined by the Australian linguist Nicholas Evans in his 1996 book Archaeology and linguistics: Aboriginal Australia in global perspective, co-authored by Patrick McConvell. The term arose from Evans' theory suggesting that two of the largest Indigenous Australian language families share a common origin, and should therefore be classified as a singular language family under "Macro-Pama-Nyungan".
| Macro-Pama–Nyungan | |
|---|---|
| (controversial) | |
| Geographic distribution | northern Australia |
| Linguistic classification | Proposed language family |
| Subdivisions | |
| Glottolog | None |
Pama–Nyungan (yellow), Garawa and Tangkic (green), and Macro-Gunwinyguan (orange) | |
The two main families that Evans refers to are the Macro-Gunwinyguan family from Northern Australia, and the most widespread Pama–Nyungan family that spans across mainland and Southern Australia. The different theories regarding Australian linguistic prehistory and Australian language family evolution are widely debated, therefore Macro-Pama-Nyungan is an inconclusive language family classification that is often dissented by linguists in the Aboriginal Australian language community.
As of May 2020, the legitimacy of the Macro-Pama-Nyungan classification and supporting theories remain open to question since language reconstruction of Indigenous Australian language families is in its early stages.
The proposed language families included in this proposal are:
- Macro-Pama-Nyungan
- Macro-Gunwinyguan (rel. to Eastern Daly?)
- Greater Pama–Nyungan