Author(s): Laughren, Mary

Dictionaries

It is spoken in the central west of Australia's Northern Territory, in semi-desert country of spinifex sand plains and dunes and low rocky rises and ridges, with ephemeral lakes and watercourses. Some 300 Warlpiri speakers contributed language examples and explanations that feature in the dictionary entries. They reflect the dialect variation found across the large Warlpiri-speaking area.The Warlpiri Encyclopaedic Dictionary has been more than 60 years in the making. With entries for more than 11,000 words, it is the largest Australian Indigenous language dictionary ever compiled. Each entry is a window into Warlpiri country and the Warlpiri world. The detailed cultural and language information is added to with 16 pages of colour photographs, comprehensive maps and line illustrations, a Warlpiri grammar and an English index to the Warlpiri words.