What is the Arrernte language?
Arrernte is a group of closely related Aboriginal languages spoken in Central Australia, including around Alice Springs, known in Arrernte as Mparntwe. It is one of the most widely spoken Aboriginal languages today.
Arrernte dialects include Eastern and Central Arrernte, spoken in and around Alice Springs, and Western Arrernte, spoken around Hermannsburg (Ntaria). Thousands of people speak Arrernte as a first or second language.
The language has sounds not found in English, including several types of n, l and t sounds made with the tongue in different positions. Words often begin with vowels, which is unusual among the world's languages.
Language and culture
Arrernte has a rich vocabulary for kinship, country and the natural world. Words describe relationships in great detail and reflect a complex system of family responsibilities.
Lutheran missionaries at Hermannsburg recorded Western Arrernte from the 1870s and translated the Bible into it, and the language is taught in some local schools.
Arrernte words appear in many Alice Springs place names and in the work of Arrernte artists, writers and musicians. Dictionaries and learning apps help support the language.
Did You Know?
Albert Namatjira was a Western Arrernte man from Hermannsburg.