damin
/daˈmin/
noun
Origin
Lardil
damin — mouth/language
Overview
Meaning Now
- A secret language, specifically a ceremonial or ritual language used by the Lardil people of Mornington Island, Australia.
Language path
Lardil → English
Earliest form
Damin
Earliest period
20th century
Journey
Damin is globally significant as one of the few known 'click' languages outside of Africa, although its clicks are used in a limited, ceremonial vocabulary rather than as standard phonemes of a colloquial language.
Evolution
- Pre-colonial
damin
“sacred ritual language”
Used exclusively by initiated men in specific ceremonial contexts.
- 20th century
Damin
“documented ritual language”
Transitioned from an oral secret language to an object of linguistic study.
Connections
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Related to damin
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.