Martuthunira language

The name Martuthunira, pronounced [maɽʊðʊneɻa] by native speakers, means "those who live around the Fortescue River".

It has many spelling variants, including: Maratunia, Mardadhunira, Mardathon, Mardathoni, Mardathoonera, Mardatuna, Mardatunera, Mardudhoonera, Mardudhunera, Mardudhunira, Mardudjungara, Marduduna, Mardudunera, Marduthunira, Mardutunera, Mardutunira, Marduyunira, Martuthinya, and Martuyhunira.

Under Carl Georg von Brandenstein's 1967 classification, Martuthunira was classed as a Coastal Ngayarda language, but the separation of the Ngayarda languages into Coastal and Inland groups is no longer considered valid.

Between vowels, the dental stop /t̪/ can become [d̪], [ð], [ð̞], [ɻ], [j], [w], or even simply a syllable break.

It occurs between vowels only in a handful of words, probably all loanwords, where it has a longer period of closure than the other stops [tː].

The laterals have prestopped allophones [ᶜʎ ᵗ̪l̪ ᵗl ʈɭ] when they occur in a syllable coda.

The alveolar rhotic /r/ is a tap [ɾ] between vowels, and a usually voiceless trill [r̥] finally.

For example: NgayuInhawulhasawngurnuthattharnta-aeuro-ACCmirtily-marta-ajoey-PROP-ACCthara-ngka-marta-a.pouch-LOC-PROP-ACCNgayu nhawulha ngurnu tharnta-a mirtily-marta-a thara-ngka-marta-a.I saw that euro-ACC joey-PROP-ACC pouch-LOC-PROP-ACCI saw that euro with a joey in its pouch.