Pama-Nyungan

Australia/ˌpamə-ˈnjʊŋən/UK/ˌpʌməˈnjʊŋən/UK/ˌpaməˈnjʊŋən/

proper noun

A proposed language family encompassing most Australian Aboriginal languages, including Pitjantjatjara and Warlpiri, but excluding those spoken in the northwest.

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Meanings

proper noun
  1. human sciencesA proposed language family encompassing most Australian Aboriginal languages, including Pitjantjatjara and Warlpiri, but excluding those spoken in the northwest.First known use 1960s

Origin

From pama (“man, person”) (in several northeast Australian Aboriginal languages) + nyungaa (“man, person”) (in several southwestern Australian Aboriginal languages) + -an. Apparently coined by American linguist Kenneth L. Hale (1934-2001), to show the vast geographical extent of the family.

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Cite this entry
APA

Pama-Nyungan. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pama-Nyungan

MLA

“Pama-Nyungan.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pama-Nyungan. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Pama-Nyungan,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pama-Nyungan.

Source: Pama-Nyungan on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.