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A Case of Intensive Lexical Diffusion: Arnhem Land, Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 March 2026

Jeffrey Heath
Jeffrey Heath*
Affiliation:
Harvard University
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Abstract

The languages of Arnhem Land, Australia, form a contiguous block and Sprachbund, despite a sharp genetic boundary. Thus in Ngandi and Ritharngu, which belong to different major genetic divisions, about half the total vocabulary is shared, virtually all because of recent diffusion. ‘Core’ vocabulary and highly inflected stems (verbs) are among the borrowed items, but linguistic structural factors affect the extent of diffusion. Extensive over-all borrowing is attributed to local demographic and cultural features: small size of ethnolinguistic group, absence of strong tribal organization, and extensive cross-linguistic marriage.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Language , Volume 57 , Issue 2 , June 1981 , pp. 335 - 367
Copyright
Copyright © 1981 by Linguistic Society of America

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Footnotes

*

Fieldwork on several languages was supported by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies between 1973 and 1976. I am indebted to Paul Black and Ken Hale for comments on an earlier draft.

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