General Language Information:

Djambarrpuyŋu is the language spoken by nearly 3,000 Yolŋu people mostly located on Elcho Island (Galiwinku) off the northeast coast of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.

Useful Links….

Aboriginal Resource and Development Services Inc (ARDS www.ards.com.au)
Charles Darwin University www.cdu.edu.au

General Language Information:

Djinang is a language found in the Northern Territory of Australia in Arnhem Land. Djinang is a part of the Yolngu language family.  According to the 2016 Census, there are 130 speakers ( 120 Djinang, 10 Wulaki). The Djinang area is around the Blyth, Goyder rivers, neighbouring the Ramingining community.

General Language Information:

Eastern Arrernte (pronounced UH-rrahn-da, the double ‘r’ is a rolled r) is spoken by approximately 2,000 people living in the Catholic community of Santa Teresa and around Alice Springs (pictured right) in the Northern Territory.

Eastern Arrernte is taught in primary schools throughout Alice Springs under the Arrernte in Schools (AIS) program and as an optional subject in high schools. It is used on local media and in local government in Alice Springs. As many as 25% of the Alice Springs population speak Arrernte as a first language.

Identifying as a speaker of a particular language is very important to the Eastern Arrernte people because it is a way of expressing membership in a particular family or group. Therefore the differences between dialects, though appearing small to outsiders, are significant to the speakers. The language varies throughout this are and there are many dialects including Eastern & Central Arrernte dialects.

“To the Arrernte, their language is more than just a way of speaking. It goes to the very core of who they are; their cultural identity, their belief system and their social order. Rather than speaking it, they are it.” (www.wayoutback.com.au)

Useful Links….

“Have you ever wondered why Arrernte is spelt the way it is?” Article by Myfany Turpin, August 2004 from the clc.org.au Central Land Council website.

A Shorter Bible in Eastern Arrernte ‘Ayey Ngkarte-Akerte‘ was dedicated in Alice Springs in July 2017 (pictured right).

General Language Information:

Barkly English is a form of ‘Aboriginal English’ spoken south of the Barkly highway in the Northern Territory, Australia.

General Language Information:

This English translation of the Bible seeks to use language features that are common to most Australian Aboriginal languages. This affects the vocabulary, grammar and rhetorical devices. It follows a meaning based translation principle wherein it seeks to convey the same meaning as the original authors conveyed to the original readers.

Language features include:

• No passive voice, since most Indigenous Australian languages do not have passive voice.
• Verbs and adjectives instead of most abstract nouns, since abstract nouns are rare in Australian languages.
• Shorter sentences to conform to the grammars of Australian languages.
• Where the original text has implicit information that would not be obvious to the target audience, that information has been made explicit.
• Modified vocabulary, according to what is commonly understood by the target audience.
• Where the original text has used figurative language that could be taken as literal by the target audience the meaning has been stated.

General Language Information:

General Language Information:

According to omniglot.com Gamilaraay is member of the Wiradhuric group of the Pama-Nyungan languages, and is spoken in New South Wales in Australia. The name of the language is also spelled Kamilaroi, Camilaroi, Kamalarai or Gamilaroi, and is pronounced [ɡ̊aˌmilaˈɻaːj].

The language was first documented with a basic word list collected by Major Thomas Mitchell in 1832. It was studied by William Ridley, a missionary, between 1852 and 1856.

In 2006 there were 35 speakers, all of whom spoke a mixture of Gamilaraay and English. The language is currently taught in a few pre-schools and primary schools.

Useful Links….

The omniglot.com entry for Gamilaraay contains lots of useful links and information.

General Language Information:

Garrwa (N155) and neighbouring Waanyi G23 belong to the Garrwan language family. There are two known varieties: Heavy Garrwa, also called Eastern Garrwa or Gunindirri/Kunindirri; and Light Garrwa also called Western Garrwa. The 2004 NILS report records 40-200 speakers of the language. According to the Austlang database, the language area is “on the rocky inland dissected plateau country from Foelsche River and Robinson River Homestead south to headwaters of Robinson River and to Seigalls Creek Homestead; east to Wollogorang and to Westmoreland outstation only; northward only to edge of coastal plain about 40 miles (65 km.) inland from the sea; Calvert Hills.”

General Language Information:

According to omniglot.com,
“Gugu Yimithirr is a Pama-Nyungan language spoken mainly in Hopevale and Cooktown in Far North Queensland, the northern most part of the Australian state of Queensland. According to the 2016 census, there are about 780 speakers of Guugu Yimithirr. The majority of speakers are adults, but some younger people also speak the language. Efforts are being made by various community members and groups to revitalize the language. Other ways of writing the name of this language include Guugu Yimidhirr, Gugu Yimijir, Gugu-Yimidhirr, Guguyimidjir, Guugu Yimithirr, Koko Imudji and Kukuyimidi. The native name of the language, Guugu Yimithirr [ˈkuːku ˈjɪmɪt̪ɪr], means “having this speech”.

Guugu Yimithirr was first documented in 1770 by Lieutenant James Cook (later Captain Cook), Joseph Banks and Sydney Parkinson, and was the first Australian Aboriginal language to be written. They collected words in Guugu Yimithirr, including kangooroo / kanguru, which referred to a large black or grey kangaroo, and is usually written gangurru [ɡaŋuru].”

General Language Information:

Gumatj is a language spoken by approximately 500 speakers and is named after one of the sixteen tribes (or clans) that live in and around Yirrkala in north-east Arnhem Land, known collectively as Yolngu.

Some alternative names for this language are: Gomadj, Gumait, Gumaj. Many of the Yolngu in the region live in small communities located on the traditional homelands of their various clan groups.

Useful Links….

www.yolnguboy.com

www.livingknowledge.anu.edu.au

Some word examples :

Salt water crocodile — ‘Baru’
Non-Aboriginal person —’Balanda’
fire (generic) —’gurtha’
water (generic) —’gapu’