Talk:Darwin Region languages

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Source for proposal?

I could not locate the source for the proposal for "Darwin Region", especially one made by Mark Harvey himself. Here are all the relevant sources I could find:

Dixon 2002^[1]: Mentions a "Darwin Region Group" covering Umbugarla, Limilngan-Wulna and Larrakiya, i.e. those currently covered by the article. I assume that this was the main source of information for this article, but the problems with Dixon's classification schemata have been well covered (e.g. Evans 2005 "Australian Languages Reconsidered").
Bowern 2012^[2]: This is a database which contains no justification for the grouping "Darwin Region". I know of no other work where Bowern reviews the grouping so I assume this is the product of her lexicostatistical work.
Harvey 2001^[3]: Does not mention a "Darwin Region" as a genetic grouping. He clearly states for Limilngan that "If the paradigms are sufficient to establish Limilngan as a member of the Australian language family, then Limilngan is related to most of its neighbours. However, this relationship is the same as that which would hold between Limilngan and almost any other non-Pama-Nyungan language." He does propose a sprachbund however that includes Limilngan-Wuna/Wulna and also of "languages along the southern Van Diemen Gulf coast", including Gonbudj, Ngaduk, Larrakia and Gaagudju.
Harvey 2002^[4]: Refers to a sprachbund "which extends eastward along the coast to Darwin [from the East Alligator River]" consisting of Larrikiya, Limilngan, Umbugarla and Wuna, presumably the same as above. Nothing about a "Darwin Region" family.
Harvey 2004^[5]: No mention of any relationship information.

None of the chapters by Harvey in Evans 2003^[6] make mention of any Darwin Region grouping, nor does he deal with any of the languages in question in any depth. This page sorely needs a good source where the proposal is made (or better yet, defended), but otherwise there is no basis at all for calling this a "proposed language family" and it is at best an areal grouping akin to the Daly languages page. 2A02:2C40:100:B206:0:0:1:DFA0 (talk) 12:12, 31 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]

References

^ Dixon, Robert M. W. (2002), Australian languages : their nature and development, Cambridge University Press, pp. xli–xlii
^ Bowern, Claire, Master List of Australian Languages, v1.2
^ Harvey, M. D. (2001), A grammar of Limilngan : a language of the Mary River Region, Northern Territory, Australia, Pacific Linguistics, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University, pp. 3–9
^ Harvey, M. D. (2002), A grammar of Gaagudju, Mouton de Gruyter, pp. 15–16
^ Harvey, M. D. (2004), Larrakia dictionary. ATSIC, Yirra Bandoo Aboriginal Corporation. 92pp.
^ Evans, N. (2003), The non-Pama-Nyungan languages of northern Australia : comparative studies of the continent's most linguistically complex region, Pacific Linguistics, ISBN 978-0-85883-538-2

[1] Dixon, Robert M. W. (2002), Australian languages : their nature and development, Cambridge University Press, pp. xli–xlii

[2] Bowern, Claire, Master List of Australian Languages, v1.2

[3] Harvey, M. D. (2001), A grammar of Limilngan : a language of the Mary River Region, Northern Territory, Australia, Pacific Linguistics, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University, pp. 3–9

[4] Harvey, M. D. (2002), A grammar of Gaagudju, Mouton de Gruyter, pp. 15–16

[5] Harvey, M. D. (2004), Larrakia dictionary. ATSIC, Yirra Bandoo Aboriginal Corporation. 92pp.

[6] Evans, N. (2003), The non-Pama-Nyungan languages of northern Australia : comparative studies of the continent's most linguistically complex region, Pacific Linguistics, ISBN 978-0-85883-538-2

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