115-590: The Torres Strait ( / ˈ t ɒr ɪ s / ), also known as Zenadh Kes ( pronounced [ˈzen̪ad̪ kes] ), is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea . It is 150 km (93 mi) wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula , the northernmost extremity of the Australian mainland. To the north is the Western Province of Papua New Guinea . It
230-515: A British colony. There was an important pearling industry from the 1860s until about 1970 when it collapsed in the face of competition from the plastics industry. Pearl-shelling was responsible for the arrival of experienced divers from many countries, notably Japan . In 1978 an agreement between Australia and Papua New Guinea determined the maritime border in the Torres Strait. In the 1980s, Torres Strait Island people wanted to create
345-566: A deep-level relationship dating back to before the flooding of Torres Strait at the end of the last age, as claimed by Mitchell or they could point to genetic inheritance and subsequent language contact, as discussed by Alpher, Bowern, and O'Grady 2009. A comparison of the Kalaw Lagaw Ya, Meriam Mìr, Kiwai and Uradhi personal pronouns show similarities and differences in typology . In comparison to Uradhi, Kalaw Lagaw Ya has an archaic typology — or, rather, Uradhi has innovated, having lost
460-698: A geographical sense, such as the Chesterfield Islands and Bellona Reefs . The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Coral Sea as follows: On the North. The South coast of New Guinea from the entrance to the Bensbach River (141°01'E) to Gadogadoa Island near its Southeastern extreme ( 10°38′S 150°34′E / 10.633°S 150.567°E / -10.633; 150.567 ), down this meridian to
575-696: A line to the Northwest extreme of York Peninsula , Australia ( 11°05′S 142°03′E / 11.083°S 142.050°E / -11.083; 142.050 )] and the East Coast of Australia as far south as Latitude 30° South. The fairly deep Coral Sea basin was formed between 58 million and 48 million years ago when the Queensland continental shelf was uplifted, forming the Great Dividing Range , and continental blocks subsided at
690-535: A long period of time, the Austronesians being culturally a superstratum , however not in a position to impose their language. He presented folk history evidence that a few Austronesian traders (men) settled at Parema (north-east of Daru) and married local [Proto–Trans Fly speaking] women. To avoid further miscegenation, they soon moved and settled in Torres Strait, first to the Eastern Islands, then to
805-472: A maximum total length of 0.84 cm (0.33 in), Schindleria brevipinguis , which is native to the GBR and Osprey Reef, is one of the smallest known fish and vertebrate. There are at least 330 species of ascidians on the reef system with the diameter of 1–10 cm (0.4–4 in). Between 300 and 500 species of bryozoans live on the reef. Saltwater crocodiles live in mangrove and salt marshes on
920-404: A name for the islands which related to their culture. Initially the name "Magani Malu Kes" was suggested for the region, but later adopting the acronym "Zenadh Kes", to refer to the Torres Strait. The acronym "ZENADTH KES" was first derived from 'Zey' (south), 'Naygay' (north), 'Dagam' (place/side), 'Thawathaw' (coastline) and KES (passage/channel/waterway). However, this has become modified and it
1035-630: A passage south of New Guinea now known as Torres Strait. This discovery led Dalrymple to publish the Historical Collection of the Several Voyages and Discoveries in the South Pacific Ocean in 1770–1771, which aroused widespread interest in his claim of the existence of an unknown continent. It was Dalrymple who named the strait after Torres. Dalrymple was bitterly disappointed that it was James Cook and not he who
1150-625: A research ship owned by the Schmidt Ocean Institute , after it was diverted from a Papua New Guinea deployment because of the pandemic. A robotic submarine sent back the first ever high-resolution footage and seafloor mapping of the vital marine protected area connecting the Great Barrier Reef to the Pacific Ocean. An area of 35,554 square kilometres (13,727 sq mi) was mapped, during 14 dives by
1265-538: A result, 70–90% of the coastal wetlands has been lost over the past decades, and many remaining flora species are endangered. On 3 April 2010, the Chinese ship Shen Neng 1 carrying 950 tonnes of oil, ran aground east of Rockhampton in Central Queensland , Australia, causing the 2010 Great Barrier Reef oil spill and inflicting the largest damage to the GBR and the Coral Sea so far. The scarred area
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#17327659013891380-563: A ship to be navigated through the Torres Strait from west to east. According to the Sydney Gazette of April 1823: "This essay of nautical skill was accomplished after the loss of four anchors and the rudder". It was also the first occasion a ship was navigated through the Coral Sea from Torres Strait, south-eastward to the southward of New Caledonia . Lihou saw Sir James Saumarez' Shoal (now Saumarez Reefs ) on 27 February and named
1495-440: A significant number, mainly men, who spoke a South-East Papuan Austronesian language, accompanied by their Papuan wives and their perhaps bilingual children. Over time, the core structure of the local mothers' language dominated, with retention of the newcomers' Papuo-Austronesian content in the appropriate cultural subsystems. In essence this would have been a 'replay' of the original settlement by Austronesian traders at Parema, with
1610-404: A unique indigenous culture which has drawn the interest of a range of anthropological, historical, archaeological and folklorist researchers. This includes an expedition from Cambridge University led by the early ethnographer Alfred Haddon in 1898, and the more contemporary regional work of Australian anthropologist Jeremy Beckett. Accounts of local Indigenous narrative traditions can be found in
1725-577: A way that all the islands of these Groups, and the straits separating them, are included in the Coral Sea. On the Southeast. A line from the Southeastern extreme of Anatom Island to Nokanhoui (reefs) ( 22°46′S 167°34′E / 22.767°S 167.567°E / -22.767; 167.567 ) off the Southeast extreme of New Caledonia , thence through the East point of Middleton Reef to
1840-546: Is Yagar Yagar , from the word yagar ( yá 'speech, etc.' + gár 'sympathy clitic' ('dear', 'please', etc.), often used by Western and Central Islanders in speech to show a sympathetic or nostalgic frame of mind. In literature on the language the abbreviations KLY (Kalaw Lagaw Ya), KKY (Kalau Kawau Ya), KulY (Kulkalgau Ya), MY (Muwalgau Ya) and KY (Kaiwaligau Ya) are often used as abbreviations. The name Mabuiag /mabujaɡ/ , in English pronounced / ˈ m oʊ b i æ ɡ / ,
1955-560: Is Australian in both form and grammar — though a certain amount of the grammar is common to Trans-Fly and Paman languages in the first place. Some semantic categories, verb number morphology, and some other morphology are non-Australian in origin. Potentially 80% of its vocabulary is non-Australian. The interplay of the above within the subsystems of Kalaw Lagaw Ya lexicon, phonology and grammar points more to mixing through shift and borrowing rather than pidginisation and creolisation. The language also has some vocabulary from languages outside
2070-400: Is Austronesian. Kalaw Lagaw Ya has only 6% cognation with its closest Australian neighbour, Urradhi , with a further 5% 'common' vocabulary (loans of various origins) — and about 40% common vocabulary with its Papuan neighbour, Meriam Mìr . Of 279 Proto- Paman forms only 18.9% have definite realisations in Kalaw Lagaw Ya, with a further 2.5% which may be present. One word that illustrates
2185-620: Is a marginal sea of the South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an interim Australian bioregion . The Coral Sea extends 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) down the Australian northeast coast. Most of it is protected by the French Natural Park of the Coral Sea ( French : Parc Naturel de la Mer de Corail ) and the Australian Coral Sea Marine Park . The sea
2300-570: Is an important international sea lane, it is very shallow (water depth of 7 to 15 m; 23 to 49 ft), and the maze of reefs and islands can make it hazardous to navigate. In the south the Endeavour Strait is located between Prince of Wales Island (Muralug) and the mainland. Shipping enters Torres Strait via the Adolphus Channel , which joins to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon to the southeast. Strong tidal currents occur in
2415-527: Is fairly widespread as a name for the language, this having been established by the Cambridge Expedition to Torres Strait, whose main research on the language was with Mabuiag material. Though the preferred term in English in Academia for some time was Kala Lagaw Ya , according to Ober, the form was always regarded as "colloquial" by native speakers. In a High Court decision on 7 August 2013,
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#17327659013892530-500: Is much less than to the east or north of the sea, and most of the area under the sea can be regarded as now tectonically inactive except for sedimentation. On 2 April 2007, the Solomon Islands were struck by a major earthquake followed by a several metres tall tsunami . The epicentre of this magnitude M w 8.1 earthquake was 349 km (217 mi) northwest of Honiara , at a depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 mi). It
2645-454: Is named after the Spanish navigator Luís Vaz de Torres , who sailed through the strait in 1606. The islands of the Torres Strait have been inhabited by humans for at least 2,500 years and possibly much longer. The various Torres Strait Islander communities have a unique culture and long-standing history with the islands and nearby coastlines. Their maritime-based trade and interactions with
2760-577: Is now spelt Zenadh Kes. Due to proximity to the Papua New Guinea mainland, the northern Torres Strait islands experience occasional asylum seeker arrivals from across the Strait. A total of ten asylum seekers from Papua New Guinea were detected in each of 2012 and 2013. The strait links the Coral Sea to the east with the Arafura Sea and Gulf of Carpentaria in the west. Although it
2875-528: Is protected from species removal of any kind, including fishing, without written permission. It was suggested in 1923 that the Great Barrier Reef contains a major oil reservoir . After the Commonwealth Petroleum Search Subsidies Act of 1957, hydrocarbon exploration increased in Queensland, including a well drilled at Wreck Island in the southern Great Barrier Reef in 1959. In the 1960s, drilling for oil and gas
2990-507: Is some folk history evidence that the language was spoken as a first language in a few villages neighbouring Torres Strait in Papua. It was also formerly spoken by the Hiámo (Hiámu, Hiáma) of Daru (Dhaaru) to the north-east of Torres Strait, who were originally settlers from Yama [Yam Island] in Torres Strait, Hiámu/Hiámo/Hiáma being a Kiwai pronunciation of Yama. The main body of the Hiámo moved to
3105-479: Is still fairly widely spoken by neighbouring Papuans and by some Aboriginal Australians . How many non-first language speakers it has is unknown. It also has a 'light' (simplified/foreigner) form, as well as a pidginised form. The simplified form is fairly prevalent on Badu and neighbouring Moa . The language is known by several names besides Kalaw Lagaw Ya , most of which (including Kalaw Lagaw Ya ) are names of dialects, spelling variants, dialect variants and
3220-511: Is the language indigenous to the central and western Torres Strait Islands , Queensland , Australia . On some islands, it has now largely been replaced by Torres Strait Creole . Before colonization in the 1870s–1880s, the language was the major lingua franca of the Torres Strait cultural area of Northern Cape York Australia , Torres Strait and along the coast of the Western Province/ Papua New Guinea . It
3335-537: Is the last in the following table, which is commonly used instead of the traditional words imi 'spouse's opposite-sex sibling', 'opposite sex sibling's spouse' and ngaubath 'spouse's same-sex sibling', 'same-sex sibling's spouse'. These have also similarly been replaced in common usage by the English loan woman (pronounced [woman] ) in the meaning of 'sister/daughter-in-law'. Other biblical loans are from Ancient Greek , Latin and Biblical Hebrew : Two early English loans of interest show back formation from what in
3450-440: Is the major predator of the reefs, as it preys upon coral polyps by climbing onto them, extruding its stomach over them, and releasing digestive enzymes to absorb the liquefied tissue. An individual adult can eat up to 6 m of reef per year. In 2000, an outbreak of crown-of-thorns starfish contributed to a loss of 66% of live coral cover on sampled reefs. Changes in water quality and overfishing of natural predators, such as
3565-538: Is the traditional language owned by the Western and Central islands of the Torres Strait. The Kala Lagaw Ya language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Torres Shire Council . Mabuiag is considered a dialect of Kala Lagaw Ya, one of the languages of the Torres Strait. Mabuiag (also written as Mabuyag) is a traditional language of Mabuiag , a Central Western island of
Torres Strait - Misplaced Pages Continue
3680-440: Is used to refer to speaking in a language, e.g. KKY markaidh muliz 'speak [in] English', zapanisadh muliz 'speak [in] Japanese', dhaudhalgadh muliz 'speak [in] Papuan', mœyamadh muliz 'speak [in] Meriam Mìr', thanamudh muliz 'speak like them, speak [in] their language'. It is otherwise common for speakers to use nominal phrases like KLY/KulY ngalpun ya , MY-KY ngalpun/ngalpan ya , KKY ngalpan ya 'our language' to refer to
3795-688: The Arafura Sea through the Torres Strait . The sea is characterised by its warm climate, with frequent rains and tropical cyclones . While the Great Barrier Reef with its islands and cays belong to Queensland, most reefs and islets east of it are part of the Coral Sea Islands Territory . In addition, some islands west of and belonging to New Caledonia are also part of the Coral Sea Islands in
3910-475: The Great Barrier Reef , the largest known reef system in the world. In May 1942, a battle between Allied and Imperial Japanese naval units took place in the Coral Sea, which resulted in the prevention of the Japanese sea-borne invasion of Port Moresby . The sea has a subtropical climate and is frequently hit by tropical cyclones , especially between January and April. This range extends to November–May in
4025-595: The Torres Strait Islands . There are at least 274 of these islands, of which 17 have present-day permanent settlements. These islands have a variety of topographies , ecosystems and formation history. Several of those closest to the New Guinea coastline are low-lying, formed by alluvial sedimentary deposits borne by the outflow of the local rivers into the sea. Many of the western islands are hilly and steep, formed mainly of granite , and are peaks of
4140-437: The giant Triton , may have contributed to an increase in the number of crown-of-thorns starfish. There are at least 30 species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises , including the dwarf minke whale , Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin , humpback whale and dugongs . Six species of sea turtles breed on the GBR – the green sea turtle , leatherback sea turtle , hawksbill turtle , loggerhead sea turtle , flatback turtle and
4255-404: The green alga Halimeda is found throughout the sea. The coastal plants consisting of only about 30–40 species, and mangroves occur in the northern part of the sea. Four hundred coral species, both hard corals and soft corals inhabit the reefs. The majority of these spawn gametes , breeding in mass spawning events that are triggered by the rising sea temperatures of spring and summer,
4370-455: The olive ridley . More than 200 species of birds (including 22 species of seabirds and 32 species of shorebirds) visit, nest or roost on the islands and reefs, including the white-bellied sea eagle and roseate tern . Most nesting sites are on islands in the northern and southern regions of the GBR, with 1.4–1.7 million birds using the sites to breed. Seventeen species of sea snake , including Laticauda colubrina (pictured), live on
4485-516: The 100 fathom line and thence along the Southern edges of Uluma Reef and those extending to the Eastward as far as the Southeast point of Lawik Reef ( 11°43.5′S 153°56.5′E / 11.7250°S 153.9417°E / -11.7250; 153.9417 ) off Tagula Island, thence a line to the Southern extreme of Rennell Island ( Solomon Islands ) and from its Eastern point to Cape Surville,
4600-409: The Australian government forbade petroleum drilling on the GBR. Yet oil spills due to shipping accidents are still a threat to environment, with a total of 282 spills between 1987 and 2002. Queensland has several major urban centres on the coast including Cairns , Townsville , Mackay , Rockhampton , Bundaberg , Sunshine Coast and the industrial city of Gladstone , which inevitably contaminate
4715-424: The Australian phonology and syntax profoundly. The contrast of Australian laminal nh/ny and lh/ly and apical n and l has been lost, voicing has become phonemic and s , z , t , d , o and òò have developed. This also affected the phonology of Australian vocabulary, where these 'foreign' sounds also occur. The non-Australian content appears to be mainly lexicon (including verbs), particularly dealing with
Torres Strait - Misplaced Pages Continue
4830-508: The Central Islands, then to Moa , Badu and Mabuiag . At Mabuiag, Badu and Moa they found Aboriginal people, killed the men and kept the women (and presumably the children). Some moved on up to Saibai, Dœwan and Bœigu to avoid this new miscegenation, hence the lighter colour of many Saibai, Dœwan and Bœigu people. Bœigu folk history collected by Laade also shows direct East Austronesian genetic influence on Bœigu. The social context
4945-551: The Common Australian 1, 2 and 3 plurals. Kiwai does not have 1–2 pronouns, while Meriam Mìr does not have a dual and trial/paucal set of pronouns which correspond to its verb system. The Kalaw Lagaw Ya system, like that of Uradhi, is Australian: Note that except for Meriam Mìr, the Trans Fly languages also have two-gender masculine-feminine systems, though not marked on the pronouns themselves. However, even though
5060-607: The Coral Sea can be classified by season, longitude and latitude . Southeasterly trade winds dominate through all sea areas and all seasons, especially between 20°S and 25°S, west of the meridian of 155°E. However, between September and December they change to northerly and northwesterly winds in this region, and the direction is mostly southwestern in May–August. West of 155°E, gales are common between January and August and are less frequent in September–December. In January,
5175-562: The Coral Sea down the east coast of Australia to the cool waters of the Tasman Sea. This current is the strongest along the Australian coasts and transforms 30 million m /s of water within a flow band of about 100 kilometres wide and 500 metres deep. The current is strongest around February and weakest around August. The major river flowing into the sea is the Burdekin River , which has its delta southeast of Townsville . Owing to
5290-559: The Coral Sea is mostly composed of sand. The GBR is too far away to provide significant coral deposits, but it effectively screens the coast from the ocean waves. As a result, most land vegetation spreads down to the sea, and the coastal waters are rich in underwater vegetation, such as green algae . The most common genera of seagrasses are Halophila and Halodule . The islands of the GBR contain more than 2,000 plant species, and three of these are endemic . The northern islands have 300–350 plant species which tend to be woody, whereas
5405-557: The Coral Sea reefs by the Queensland residents over 12 months in 2008. Growing concerns over the environmental effects of tourism resulted in establishment in 1975 of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park . There are also smaller state and national parks. In 1981, the Great Barrier Reef was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. From the middle of 2004, approximately one-third of the GBR Marine Park
5520-468: The Coral Sea reefs ranged from a few to 26 sharks per hour. The rare Etmopterus dislineatus shark species is endemic to the central part of the Coral Sea. It has been observed at depths of 590–700 m on or near the continental slope . The coastal areas of the Coral Sea were populated at least 40,000 years ago by prehistoric people descending through the northern islands. Those Aboriginal tribes have been dispersed and nowadays only about 70 groups live in
5635-624: The Eastern extreme of Elizabeth Reef ( 29°55′S 159°02′E / 29.917°S 159.033°E / -29.917; 159.033 ) and down this meridian to Latitude 30° South . On the South. The parallel of 30° South to the Australian coast. (Bordering the Tasman Sea .) On the West. The Eastern limit of the Arafura Sea [The entrance to the Bensbach River (141°01'E), and thence
5750-679: The Eastern extreme of San Cristobal Island [ Makira ], Solomons ; thence through Nupani Island , the Northwestern of the Santa Cruz Islands ( 10°04.5′S 165°40.5′E / 10.0750°S 165.6750°E / -10.0750; 165.6750 ) to the Northernmost Island of the Duff Islands ( 9°48.5′S 167°06′E / 9.8083°S 167.100°E / -9.8083; 167.100 ). On
5865-641: The French had preceded him across the Pacific , Cook re-wrote this signalling drill as a possession ceremony, saying he had claimed Australia's east coast for the British Crown. In 1823 Captain John Lihou, Master of the 550-ton merchant ship Zenobia of Calcutta , was on passage from Manila to South America and chose a route through Torres Strait. Remarkably, this would become the first time for
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#17327659013895980-485: The GBR alone. Other economic activities in the sea include fishing and exploration of petroleum deposits in the Gulf of Papua. The sea is also a popular tourism destination. In 2006–2007, tourism on the GBR contributed A$ 5.1 billion to the Australian economy. The tourism is mostly foreign or from remote parts of Australia, with a local contribution of about A$ 153 million. In particular, about 14.6 million visits were made to
6095-475: The GBR in 1975, and fishing is restricted in many areas. The reefs and islands of the Coral Sea are particularly rich in birds and aquatic life and are a popular tourist destination, both domestically and internationally. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland , thereby including the Great Barrier Reef , in the east by Vanuatu (formerly the New Hebrides ) and by New Caledonia , and in
6210-661: The GBR in warm waters up to 50 metres (160 ft) deep and are more common in the southern than in the northern section; none of them are endemic or endangered. The venom of many of these snakes is highly toxic; for example, Aipysurus duboisii is regarded as the world's most venomous sea snake. There are more than 1,500 fish species , including the clownfish ( Amphiprioninae ), red bass ( Lutjanus bohar ), red-throat emperor ( Lethrinus miniatus ), coral trout ( Plectropomus leopardus ) and several species of snapper ( Lutjanidae ). Forty-nine species mass spawn and eighty-four other species spawn elsewhere in their range. With
6325-636: The Northeast. From the Northernmost island of the Duff Islands, through these islands to their Southeastern extreme, thence a line to Méré Lava, Vanuatu Islands( 14°25′S 163°03′E / 14.417°S 163.050°E / -14.417; 163.050 ) and down the Eastern coasts of the islands of this Group to Anatom Island ( 20°11′S 169°51′E / 20.183°S 169.850°E / -20.183; 169.850 ) in such
6440-501: The Papuan coast). Some basic vocabulary, terminology dealing with agriculture, canoes, the weather, the sky and the sea, some abstract nouns, some verbs. Possibly some grammar in the form of function words, such as waadh (KKY waaza ) 'existential emphasis' (i.e. 'it is true that ... '), Proto Oceanic Austronesian *waDa 'existential'. The Australian word forms and structure found in Kalaw Lagaw Ya appear to be retentions, i.e. inherited;
6555-665: The Papuans to the north and the Australian Aboriginal communities have maintained a steady cultural diffusion among the three societal groups, dating back thousands of years. The first recorded European navigation of the strait was by Luís Vaz de Torres , a pilot who was second-in-command on the Spanish expedition led by navigator Pedro Fernandes de Queirós who sailed from Peru to the South Pacific in 1605. After Queirós's ship returned to Mexico , Torres resumed
6670-764: The Santa Cruz Basin and to its south the D'Entrecasteaux Basin which is delimited to its south by the undersea D'Entrecasteaux Ridge . South of the D'Entrecasteaux Ridge is the North Loyalty Basin (gazetted as the Loyalty Basin as an alternative name), which is bordered on its southwest by the Loyalty Ridge that contains the Loyalty Islands . This ridge is the north east border of the submerged continent of Zealandia and all
6785-640: The Strait are: Torres Strait is mentioned in Jules Verne 's 1870 novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas as a dangerous strait where the submarine, the Nautilus , is briefly stranded. Kalaw Lagaw Ya#Phonology 2 Kalau Lagau Ya , Kalaw Lagaw Ya , Kala Lagaw Ya ( [kala(u) laɡau ja] ), or the Western Torres Strait language (also several other names, see below )
6900-700: The Thursday Island group to escape the Kiwai colonisation of Daru some centuries ago. The language is classified as being part of the Pama–Nyungan languages . Mitchell regard it as a mixed language with an Australian core (Pama–Nyungan) and Papuan and Austronesian overlays, while Capell and Dixon classify it among the Papuan languages . The personal pronouns are typically Australian, most kin terms are Papuan, and significant sea/canoe and agricultural vocabulary
7015-454: The Torres Strait area, from the Indonesian , Malay , Philippine, English and other 'outsiders'. Where loan words from the Western Austronesian (Indonesian, etc.) loans are concerned, it is possible that some such came into the language in pre-European contact days, with the Makassans and similar fishermen/traders who visited northern Australia and Torres Strait. Examples of post-European contact Western Austronesian loan words: Some words in
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#17327659013897130-400: The Torres Strait. The Mabuiag language region includes the island landscape of Mabuiag within the local government boundaries of the Torres Shire Council and Mabuiag Island Council. In the 2016 Australian census , the population of the islands was recorded as 4,514 on the Islands, but many more Torres Strait Islander people live outside of Torres Strait in Australia. The two routes through
7245-400: The Trans-Fly languages; the forms in Kalaw Lagaw Ya are clearly Australian. Some basic and abstract vocabulary, some verbs. Some grammar, such as verb number and different stems for different number forms of some verbs. Use of state/movement verbs as existential and stative 'be' verbs. Two non-personal pronominals: naag/naga 'how', namuith 'when' (both in KKY, the dialect of the islands off
7360-442: The ancestors of the Kowrareg (the Hiámo) originally came from Dharu (Daru, to the north east of Torres Strait) — and who had previously settled on Dharu from Yama in Central Torres Strait. They cut down a big tree earlier today to make a canoe. Underlying form: Thana+∅ They PL + NOM kayiba∅ today kœi big puuRi+∅ Coral Sea Download coordinates as: The Coral Sea (French: Mer de Corail )
7475-710: The area around the GBR. The sea was the location for the Battle of the Coral Sea , a major confrontation during World War II between the navies of the Empire of Japan , and the United States and Australia. An example is the wreckage of the USS Lexington found in 2018. Navigation has long been a traditional human activity on the Coral Sea and there are 10 major ports on the Queensland coast alone. More than 3,500 ships operated in this area in 2007, making over 9,700 voyages that transported coal, sugar, iron ore, timber, oil, chemicals, cattle and other goods. The abundance of coral reefs hinders shipping traffic, and about 50–60 accidents per year were reported between 1990 and 2007 in
7590-435: The area. Most rains fall between December and March, in bursts of 30–60 days. The number of clear days per year varies approximately between 80 and 125, and the typical temperature variation through the year are 18–27 °C. Climate change made it 175 times more likely that the surface waters of the Coral Sea would reach the record-breaking temperatures March 2016 that bleached reefs, modelling analysis showed. Winds in
7705-410: The areas south to 10°S. Between 1969 and 1997, the GBR experienced 80 cyclones, 90% which were of category 1 or 2 (winds 17–33 m/s, central pressure 970–1000 hPa) and only 10% of category 3 (winds >33 m/s, pressure <970 hPa). The cyclone frequency decreased between 1997 and 2005 to 1.5 per year (12 in total). Annual rainfall typically ranges between 1,000 and 3,000 mm depending on
7820-496: The basis of the publication Myths and Legends of Torres Strait (1970) and Tales from Torres Strait (1972). Her collection is now held by the State Library of Queensland and in 2008 it was added to UNESCO 's Australian Memory of the World Register . Two indigenous languages are spoken on the Torres Strait Islands: Kala Lagaw Ya (also known by variant names and spellings), and Meriam Mir (Meriam), as well as Brokan [Broken], otherwise called Torres Strait Creole . Kala Lagaw Ya
7935-649: The coast. Around 125 species of shark, stingray , skates or chimaera live on the GBR, in addition to about 5,000 species of mollusc . The latter include the giant clam and various nudibranchs and cone snails . One study of 443 individual sharks gives the following distribution of their species on the Australian side of the Coral Sea: grey reef shark ( Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos , 69%), whitetip reef shark ( Triaenodon obesus , 21%), silvertip shark ( Carcharhinus albimarginatus , 10%), tiger shark ( Galeocerdo cuvier , <1%) and great hammerhead ( Sphyrna mokarran , <1%). The interaction rate (free diving) at
8050-406: The commercial and traditional fisheries resources. The Treaty established a Torres Strait Protected Zone within which both nations manage access to fisheries resources. Each country exercises sovereign jurisdiction for resources on either side of the agreed jurisdiction lines. Environmental issues facing the region include the risk of mining waste from the Fly River in southern Papua New Guinea and
8165-619: The decision was taken to officially term the language Kalau Lagau Ya , using the formal form. When speaking to each other, speakers generally refer to the language as Langgus 'language' or use phrases such as KLY/KulY ngalpudh muli , MY-KY ngalpudh/ngalpadh muli , KKY ngalpadh muliz "speak(s) our language", e.g. KLY/KulY ngalpudh muuli, thanamunungu tidailai! , MY-KY ngalpudh/ngalpadh muuli, thanamuningu tidailai! , KKY ngalpadh muli, thanamulngu tidaile! 'Speak in our language so they don't understand!'. Ngalpudh/ngalpadh literally means 'like us'. The construction X-dh mula+i- 'speak X-like'
8280-681: The east of this Rennell Basin is the Rennell Island Ridge (Rennel Island Ridge) which contains both Rennell Island and the Indispensable Reefs . To the southeast of the Rennell Island Ridge is the South Rennell Trough, quite a deep spreading center linear structure extending from northeast to southwest extending along the south east border of the Mellish Rise. The main eastern basins are the north
8395-574: The fathers' language, particularly in areas that were culturally important for the fathers. These people then shifted to Torres Strait — maintaining established ties with Papua as well as with Austronesian speakers further east (this latter being suggested by various characteristics of the Austronesian content in Kalau Lagaw Ya) — and overlaid an Australian population in such a way that the majority of women spoke an Australian language, with
8510-535: The following 'trade' words in Torres Strait area languages. However, the question of external relationships of Kalaw Lagaw Ya is also complicated by resemblances between both the Paman ( Pama-Nyungan , Australian languages ) and the Trans-Fly (Papuan) languages. Though few, these may be significant, and include forms such as those noted below, not all of which appear in Kalaw Lagaw Ya. Such resemblances could point to
8625-531: The intended voyage to Manila via the Maluku Islands . He sailed along the south coast of New Guinea and discovered the strait that still bears his name. This discovery recorded in Spanish maps of the Pacific would later make possible James Cook 's expedition to Australia . Torres and his crew are not known to have sighted the Australian mainland visited just four months earlier by Willem Janszoon sailing Duyfken without conversely becoming aware of
8740-457: The language appeared to be a plural. Most nouns (a) form the plural with an -l suffix, and (b) in the nominative-accusative singular elide the stem final vowel, thus tukuyapa- 'same-sex sibling', plural tukuyapal , nominative-accusative tukuyap . Under this model 'custard-apple' became katitap , plural katitapal , and 'mammy-apple' (pawpaw/papaya) became mamiyap , plural mamiyapal . There are four main dialects, two of which are on probably
8855-526: The language when speaking to each other. Kalau Lagau Ya is spoken on the western and central islands of Torres Strait , between Papua New Guinea ( Naigay Dœgam Dhaudhai "North-side Mainland/Continent", also called Mœgi Dhaudhai "Small Mainland/Continent", KKY Mœgina Dhaudhai ) and the Australian mainland ( Zey Dœgam Dhaudhai "South-side Mainland/Continent", also known as Kœi Dhaudhai "Big Mainland/Continent"), though on some islands it has now been largely replaced by Brokan ( Torres Strait Creole ). There
8970-479: The language, assuming that they are Western Austronesian loans, appear to be pre-contact words. This is suggested by form and use in the language and in neighbouring languages (some of these words may ultimately be from Arabic and Sanskrit ). Loans from modern Eastern Austronesian (Polynesian and Melanesian) into the language are mainly of religious or 'academic' use. In general, such words are terms for objects that are strictly speaking European goods. One exception
9085-408: The languages have significant Austronesian vocabulary content, including items such as the following: Some of the Austronesian content is clearly South-East Papuan Austronesian: The linguistic history of the Torres Strait area is complex, and interaction of well over 2500 years has led to many layers of relationship between the local languages, including many words that are obviously common, such as
9200-660: The largest atolls of the Coral Sea. To the east of the north Australian coast is the Great Barrier Reef on the continental shelf. To its east is a plateau that is host to the Coral Sea Islands Territory that is known as either the Coral Sea Plateau or the Queensland Plateau. To the north of the Great Barrier Reef the Eastern and Papuan Plateaus continue the southern continental shelf of New Guinea . The Coral Sea Basin, while being
9315-476: The like — and include translations of the English terms, Western Island Language and Central Island Language : Kalaw Lagaw Ya / Kalau Lagau Ya / Kala Lagaw Ya Kalaw Kawaw Ya / Kalau Kawau Ya Kala Lagaw Langgus / Kala Lagau Langgus / Kalaw Lagaw Langgus / Kalau Lagau Langgus Langgus Linggo Westen West Torres Western Torres Strait Dhadhalagau Ya Sentral / Central Islands One term used by Eastern Islanders and neighbouring Papuans for Kala Lagaw Ya
9430-728: The lunar cycle, and the diurnal cycle. Reefs in the inner GBR spawn during the week after the full moon in October, while the outer reefs spawn in November and December. Its common soft corals belong to 36 genera. There are more than 1500 fish species in the reef systems. Five hundred species of marine algae or seaweed live on the reef, including thirteen species of the genus Halimeda , which deposit calcareous mounds up to 100 metres (110 yd) wide, creating mini- ecosystems on their surface which have been compared to rainforest cover. Crown-of-thorns starfish ( Acanthaster planci )
9545-681: The main oceanic basin of the sea, is associated with much more geologically complex and younger basins situated to the seas's east and south. It is separated to the east from these younger basins by the Louisiade Plateau . To the east of the Louisiade Plateau is what has been named geologically as the Rennell Basin, south-west of Rennell Island , but is gazetted as being known as either the Rennell or Rennel Trough. To
9660-463: The narrow channels between islands and reefs, and large submarine sand dunes migrate across the seafloor. Some 580 coral reefs, including the Warrior Reefs and Eastern Patch Reefs, cover a total area of 2,400 km (930 sq mi) in the region, and the area also has some of the most extensive seagrass beds in the world. Several clusters of islands lie in the Strait, collectively called
9775-591: The northeast approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands . In the northwest, it reaches to the south coast of eastern New Guinea , thereby including the Gulf of Papua . It merges with the Tasman Sea in the south, with the Solomon Sea in the north and with the Pacific Ocean in the east. On the west, it is bounded by the mainland coast of Queensland , and in the northwest, it connects with
9890-440: The northernmost extension of the Great Dividing Range . They became islands as sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age . The central islands are predominantly coral cays , and those of the east are of volcanic origins. There are several major policy and institutional frameworks in the Torres Strait region that support the sustainable use and management of marine resources while also protecting habitats, biodiversity and
10005-581: The northwest monsoon may occur between the parallels of 15°S and 20°S, west of the 150°E meridian. Gales are rare in this region most of the year except for June–August, when strong southeasterly winds occur a few days per month. The southeasterly trades are also strong north of 15°S between March and November. They weaken and often change to westerly winds in December and to northerly and northwesterly winds in January and February. The Australian shore of
10120-435: The original 2012 announcement were subsequently significantly reduced from 50.78% to 24% in the 2018 management plan. This 50% reduction in protection was enacted contrary to the recommendations of then Commonwealth Government's expert review panel. Before 2020, only shallow parts of Coral Sea reefs had been mapped. During 2020 some of the deepest parts of the sea were mapped using an advanced multi-beam sonar system aboard
10235-464: The original Australian forms appear to be unchanged at the core level. This suggests that the language is not a pidgin / creole in origin, but an Australian language which has undergone strong external lexical and grammatical influence. The language appears to be a classic case of shift, whereby speakers of one language retained multilingualism over a long period of time, absorbing aspects of another language. The Austronesian and Papuan overlays modified
10350-732: The problems of 'may-be' relationship is kùlbai (KKY kùlba ) 'old', which may be a metathetic realisation of CA *bulgan 'big; old'. Potentially 80% of the vocabulary of the language is non-Australian, and includes Papuan and Austronesian items. Bouckaert, Bowern and Atkinson (2018) found that Kalaw Lagaw Ya had the highest number of 'unique' (that is, non-Pama-Nyungan) forms of any Australian language in their sample. Oral tradition and cultural evidence recorded by Haddon and Laade, backed by archaeological evidence and linguistic evidence, shows that Austronesian trade and settlement in South-West Papua, Torres Strait and Cape York occurred;
10465-489: The reef system after Vice-Admiral James Saumarez . On this same trip, Lihou discovered the Lihou Reef and Cays and Port Lihou (originally named Port Yarborough, on the southern shore of Prince of Wales Island ). The London Missionary Society arrived on Erub (Darnley Island) in 1871. Although some of the Torres Strait islands lie just off the coast of New Guinea, they were annexed in 1879 by colony of Queensland , then
10580-437: The same time. The sea has been an important source of coral for the Great Barrier Reef, both during its formation and after sea level lowering . The geological formation processes are still proceeding, as partly evidenced by the seismic activity . Several hundred earthquakes with the magnitude between 2 and 6 were recorded in the period 1866–2000 along the Queensland coast and in the Coral Sea. However this seismic activity
10695-562: The sea water composition near the river delta. The surface water temperature varies on the south of the sea from 19 °C in August to 24 °C in February. It is rather warm and stable at 27–28 °С in the north all through the year. Water salinity is 34.5–35.5‰ (parts per thousand). The water is mostly very clear, with the visibility of about 30 metres (100 ft) near the reefs. The Coral Sea takes its name from its coral formations of
10810-477: The sea, farming, canoe and sky/weather/astrology, with possible some syntactic words. This presents a picture of a typically extensive borrowing situation with much lexical borrowing and some structural borrowing with a large amount of passive bilingualism and little active bilingualism. Laade's picture (1968) of Australian and Papuan settlement in Torres Strait supports the above scenario of Papuan and Austronesian speakers who shifted to an Australian language over
10925-436: The sea. About thirty rivers and hundreds of small streams add continental water, which contains sediments, pesticides and industrial waste. Runoff is especially concerning in the region south of Cairns, as it may receive up to 4200 mm of rain per year. About 90% of sea contamination originates from land farming activities. The area is continuously urbanising, so that the population is expected to increase by 40% by 2026. As
11040-556: The seasonal and annual variations in occurrence of cyclones and in precipitation (typically between 200 and 1600 mm/year), its annual discharge can vary more than 10 times between the two succeeding years. In particular, in the period 1920–1999, the average flow rate near the delta was below 1000 m /s in 1923, 1931, 1939, 1969, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1993 and 1995; it was above 25,000 m /s in 1927, 1940, 1946, 1950, 1951, 1959, 1968, 1972, 1974 and 1991, and reached about 40,000 m /s in 1946. This irregularity results in concomitant fluctuations of
11155-488: The southern islands have 200 which are more herbaceous; the Whitsunday region is the most diverse, supporting 1,141 species. The plants are spread by birds. The sea hosts numerous species of anemones , sponges , worms (e.g. Spirobranchus giganteus shown in the photograph), gastropods , lobsters , crayfish , prawns and crabs. Red algae Lithothamnion and Porolithon colour many coral reefs purple-red and
11270-514: The strait now known as Torres Strait. No specific records exists of Torres sighting the coast of a major land mass to his south, and early Spanish maps show the coast of New Guinea correctly but omit Australia. In 1769 the Scottish geographer Alexander Dalrymple , whilst translating some Spanish documents captured in the Philippines in 1762, had found Luís Vaz de Torres's testimony proving
11385-890: The structures on the sea floor of the Coral Sea to its south east are related to this area of continental crust. In turn going to the south west they are the South Loyalty Basin, the New Caledonia Nappe, the New Caledonia Trough (previously known as the New Caledonia Basin) and to its south west the Bellona Plateau. Major Coral Sea currents form a counter-clockwise gyro which includes the East Australian Current . It brings warm nutrient-poor waters from
11500-566: The submarine, which went down up to 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) into the depths and spent almost 100 hours in the sea. Geoscientist Jody Webster of the University of Sydney , marine geologist Robin Beaman of James Cook University led the expedition, with colleagues controlling the diving and mapping remotely. Rare marine life was identified after the images were shared with other scientists on social media, but researchers think that some of
11615-491: The sustainable management of natural resources. The islands' indigenous inhabitants are the Torres Strait Islanders , one of two ethnically distinct groups of Indigenous Australian peoples. Torres Strait Islanders are distinct from both the Papuans of adjoining New Guinea and from Aboriginal Australian peoples of the nearby Australian mainland, but related to both. The people of the Torres Strait have
11730-510: The system has no real surprises for Australian linguistics, it is clear that Kalaw Lagaw Ya has innovated in the 1st and 2nd pronouns, which have the following CA origins: The 2nd person dual and plural pronouns are based on forms that literally mean 'you dual ' ( ngipel ) and 'you-they' ( ngitha[na] ), in much the same way as the demonstratives mark the dual and plural (see further below in Nominal Morphology). An examination of
11845-475: The traditional islander way of life. Most important of these is the Torres Strait Treaty, entered into by Australia and Papua New Guinea in February 1985. The Treaty defines sovereignty and maritime boundaries in the area between the two countries. It guides decision makers on protecting the way of life and livelihood of traditional inhabitants, on managing the protection of habitats, and on sharing
11960-409: The various sub-systems (vocabulary, syntax, morphology) suggests the following: Some basic and abstract vocabulary, all personal pronouns (inc. who and what/which ), some verbs. Some grammar, such as nominal and verb morphology (subject, agent, object, genitive, -l locative, -ka dative, perfective attainative, imperfective, -i/-iz(i) perfective active. These typological categories also exist in
12075-470: The verge of extinction, one (Kaiwaligau Ya) through convergence to the neighbouring Kalaw Lagaw Ya. Within the dialects there are two or more subdialects. The average mutual intelligibility rate, based on a Swadesh count, is around 97%. The Southern dialect has certain characteristics that link it closely to the northern dialect, and folk history dealing with the Muralag group and Mua reflects this, in that
12190-442: The women understanding the language of the men, but not really needing to speak it while retaining parts of their language for significant areas. The children then created a new language shift to an Australian language with a Papuan-Austronesian admixture. Kalaw Lagaw Ya is thus a mixed language in that a significant part of its lexicon, phonology and grammar is not Australian in origin. The core nominal, pronominal and verb morphology
12305-453: The work of Nonie Sharp and Margaret Lawrie . Lawrie developed strong relationships with the people of the Torres Strait from the 1950s to 1970s, and many approached her to record and write down their personal stories and family histories. This resulted in her conducting research into the cultural history of the Torres Strait and collecting transcripts, audio recordings, photographs, slides, works of art and oral stories . Collectively they formed
12420-524: Was appointed commander of the expedition that eventually led in 1770 to the British encounter and charting of the eastern coastline of Australia. In 1770 Lieutenant James Cook rounded Cape York, turned south-west and landed on Possession Island . From the top of a hill, he signalled down to the ship that he could see a navigable passage through the dangerous Strait. Later in Batavia , where he learnt that
12535-469: Was followed by more than 44 aftershocks of a magnitude 5.0 or greater. The resulting tsunami killed at least 52 people and destroyed more than 900 homes. The sea received its name because of its numerous coral formations. They include the Great Barrier Reef, which extends about 2,000 km (1,200 mi) along the northeast coast of Australia and includes approximately 2,900 individual reefs and 1000 islands. The Chesterfield Islands and Lihou Reef are
12650-504: Was investigated throughout the Great Barrier Reef, in the Torres Strait , along "the eastern seaboard of Cape York to Princess Charlotte Bay " and along the coast from Cooktown to Fraser Island . In the late 1960s, more exploratory oil wells were drilled near Wreck Island in the Capricorn Channel, and near Darnley Island in the Torres Strait, but with no results. In the 1970s, responding to concern about oil spills ,
12765-528: Was planned and pending approval. The Coral Sea Commonwealth Marine Reserve was renamed as the Coral Sea Marine Park in October 2017. It covers an area of 989,836 km (382,178 sq mi) and is assigned IUCN category IV, with some area assigned IUCN categories VI, and II. It is Australia's largest single marine park and is one of the world's largest protected areas . The Marine National Park protection (IUCN II) protected areas of
12880-475: Was proclaimed in December 2013, but it was not seen to offer enough protection for the environment. A group of 10 environmental NGOs came together as a coalition called the Protect our Coral Sea campaign, asking the government to create a very large highly protected Coral Sea Marine Park. In November 2011 the Australian government announced that a 989,842 square kilometres (382,180 sq mi) protected area
12995-460: Was roughly 3 km (1.9 mi) long and 250 m (820 ft) wide, and some parts of it have become completely devoid of marine life. There are concerns that there could be considerable long-term damage and it will take 10 to 20 years for the reef to recover. By 13 April 2010, oil tar balls were washing up on the beaches of North West Island , a significant bird rookery and turtle nesting colony. The Coral Sea Commonwealth Marine Reserve
13110-424: Was that of a few Austronesian men who settled on the outskirts of an East Trans-Fly group, intermarried, and whose children were either bilingual, or speakers of their mothers' language, with some knowledge of their fathers' language. The local people did not need to speak the traders' language, who in turn had to speak the local language. The children in turn would then speak the local language, with varying ability in
13225-591: Was the location for the Battle of the Coral Sea , a major confrontation during World War II between the navies of the Empire of Japan , and the United States and Australia. The sea contains numerous islands and reefs , as well as the world's largest reef system, the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1981. All previous oil exploration projects were terminated at
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