PamaNyungan

Pama-Nyungan, often written PamaNyungan and also spelled Pama–Nyungan, is the largest family of Australian Aboriginal languages. It comprises the majority of mainland languages and is spread across the southern, central, and eastern parts of the continent. Linguists use the term to describe a genealogical grouping that shares certain phonological and lexical features believed to derive from a common ancestor, Proto-Pama-Nyungan.

Geographically, most Pama-Nyungan languages are spoken outside the far northern coast, where many Non-Pama-Nyungan languages are found. The distribution of PN languages covers a wide swath of the southern and central mainland, with extensive regional diversity and numerous language communities.

The internal classification of Pama-Nyungan is a matter of ongoing debate. Researchers agree that PN represents a large and long-duration diversification, but there is no universally accepted consensus on the details of branch relationships or dates. Proto-Pama-Nyungan is estimated to have been spoken several thousand years ago, with common reconstructions placing its emergence around 6,000–9,000 years before present in various timelines.

Linguistically, Pama-Nyungan languages display considerable variation, but common themes include a tendency toward suffix-based morphology and diverse verb complexes. Many PN languages exhibit ergative alignment in some or all of their grammar, though this is not universal across the family.

Today, many PN languages are endangered due to historical and ongoing contact, displacement, and language shift. Documentation, language maintenance, and revitalization efforts are active in several communities, reflecting ongoing research and community-led initiatives to preserve linguistic diversity.