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The Western Desert Language (WDL) is a vast dialect continuum located in the sparsely populated arid interior of Australia. It is a typical member of the Pama-Nyungan group: agglutinative, SOV, with an ergative case system and conjugational classes. This article describes two of the better known dialects, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara (P/Y). Unusual features of P/Y include the role of mora parity in the workings of verbal inflection and derivation, and presence of switch reference in both subordinate and coordinate constructions. The article also touches on sociohistorical and cultural aspects. |
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