{{short description|Australian Aboriginal language}} {{Infobox language |name = Pakanha |altname = Ayabakan |states = Australia |region = Cape York Peninsula, Queensland |coordinates = {{coord|14|30|S|142|25|E|type:landmark|display=inline}} |ethnicity = Ayabakan |extinct = 1990s |ref = e25 |speakers2 = No known L1 speakers<ref name=AIATSIS/><ref name=e25/> |familycolor = Australian |fam1 = Pama–Nyungan |fam2 = Paman |fam3 = North Cape York |fam4 = Wik |dia1 = Western Ayapathu |iso3 = pkn |glotto = paka1251 |glottorefname = Pakanha |aiatsis = Y64 |aiatsisname = Pakanh |aiatsis2 = Y181 |aiatsisname2 = Western Ayapathu |notice = IPA }}

'''Pakanha''' (Bakanha), or '''Ayabakan''', is a nearly extinct Paman language spoken on the Cape York Peninsula of Queensland, Australia. In 1981, there were 10 speakers of the language, originally spoken by the aboriginal Pakanha people in the central part of the Cape York Peninsula.<ref>Wurm and Hattori 1981</ref>

== Phonology ==

=== Vowels === Pakanha has 5 vowel qualities:<ref name="Hamilton">{{Citation | last = Hamilton | first = Philip | title = Uw Oykangand and Uw Olkola Multimedia Dictionary | year = 1998 | url = http://reocities.com/Athens/delphi/2970/index.html | access-date = 20 January 2011}} {{grapheme|</ref>

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" ! rowspan=2 | ! colspan="3" | Short ! colspan="3" | Long |- ! Front ! Central ! Back ! Front ! Central ! Back |- !Close | {{IPA link|i}} {{grapheme|i}} | | {{IPA link|u}} ~ {{IPA link|ʊ}} {{grapheme|u}} | {{IPA link|iː}} {{grapheme|ii}} | | {{IPA link|uː}} {{grapheme|uu}} |- ! Mid | {{IPA link|e}} ~ {{IPA link|e̞}} {{grapheme|e}} | | {{IPA link|o}} ~ {{IPA link|ɔ}} {{grapheme|o}} | {{IPA link|ɛː}} {{grapheme|ee}} | | {{IPA link|oː}} {{grapheme|oo}} |- ! Open | |{{IPA link|a}} ~ {{IPA link|ə}} {{grapheme|a}} | | |{{IPA link|aː}} {{grapheme|aa}} | |}

=== Consonants === Pakanha has 15 consonants:<ref name="Hamilton"/>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" !rowspan=2| !colspan=2| Peripheral !colspan=2| Laminal !colspan=2| Apical !rowspan=2| Glottal |- ! Bilabial ! Velar ! Palatal ! Dental ! Alveolar ! Retroflex |- ! Plosive | {{IPA link|p}} {{grapheme|p}} | {{IPA link|k}} {{grapheme|k}} | {{IPA link|c}} {{grapheme|ch}} | {{IPA link|t̪}} {{grapheme|th}} | {{IPA link|t}} {{grapheme|t}} | | {{IPA link|ʔ}} {{grapheme|&#39;}} |- ! Nasal | {{IPA link|m}} {{grapheme|m}} | {{IPA link|ŋ}} {{grapheme|ng}} | {{IPA link|ɲ}} {{grapheme|ny}} | {{IPA link|n̪}} {{grapheme|nh}} | {{IPA link|n}} {{grapheme|n}} | | |- ! Trill |colspan=2| | | | {{IPA link|r}} {{grapheme|rr}} | | |- ! Approximant |colspan=2| {{IPA link|w}} {{grapheme|w}} | {{IPA link|j}} {{grapheme|y}} | | {{IPA link|l}} {{grapheme|l}} | {{IPA link|ɻ}} {{grapheme|r}} | |}

== Vocabulary/Topical Index == {{Expand section|date=February 2011}} The following is a sample of words from a comparative wordlist/topical index produced by Philip Hamilton.<ref name="Hamilton2">{{Citation | last = Hamilton | first = Philip | title = Uw Oykangand and Uw Olkola Multimedia Dictionary | year = 1998 | url = http://reocities.com/Athens/delphi/2970/dict2.htm | access-date = 22 February 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120323155530/http://reocities.com/Athens/delphi/2970/dict2.htm | archive-date = 23 March 2012 | url-status = dead }}</ref> The Pakanha words are accompanied by corresponding words from the distantly related Uw Olkola and Uw Oykangand languages:

(P) = Pakanha, (Olk) = Uw Olkola, (Oyk) = Uw Oykangand.

'''The Body:''' * Body ** {{lang|pkn|nhangka|italic=no}} (P) ** {{lang|olk|idnhan|italic=no}} (Olk, Oyk) ** {{lang|olk|elpan|italic=no}} (Olk) * Head ** {{lang|pkn|wele|italic=no}} (P) ** {{lang|olk|eka|italic=no}} (Olk) ** {{lang|kjn|e.g.|italic=no}} (Oyk) * Fontanel ** {{lang|pkn|wele ngangka|italic=no}} (P) ** {{lang|olk|ek ulpar|italic=no}} (Olk) ** {{lang|kjn|e.g. ulbar|italic=no}} (Oyk) * Skull ** {{lang|pkn|yenkan|italic=no}} (P) ** {{lang|olk|ek obher|italic=no}} (Olk) ** {{lang|kjn|e.g. opher|italic=no}} (Oyk)

== In popular culture == The Pakanha word for the eastern grey kangaroo, {{lang|pkn|kucha|italic=yes}}, was used as the name of a tribe on the second season of the American reality television series, Survivor in 2001.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oocities.org/athens/delphi/2970/kangaroo.htm|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121017120459/http://www.oocities.org/athens/delphi/2970/kangaroo.htm|archive-date = 2012-10-17|title = Kangaroo}}</ref>

== References == {{Reflist}}

{{Pama–Nyungan languages|Paman}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Wik languages