Loanwords in Yilumbu: A morphological, semantic and lexicographic perspective

Abstract

A considerable fraction of the vocabulary of Yilumbu is made up of words, which can be regarded as loanwords. This article focuses on morphologic, semantic and lexicographic aspects of borrowing in Yilumbu. As far as morphology is concerned, it is argued that despite the arrival of new words the Yilumbu noun class prefix has not undergone significant changes. Semantic changes are presented, followed by a lexicographic analysis.