General Language Information:

Kuuk Thaayorre is a Pama-Nyungan language spoken in Pormpuraaw on the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. In 2016 there were about 210 speakers of Kuuk Thaayorre. As per the situation across most of Aboriginal Australia, the majority of speakers are adults, with fewer children learning the language with successive generations.

The language is also known as Behran, Gugudayor, Kuktayor, Kukudayore, Kuuk Thaayoore, Kuuk Thaayorre, Taior, Thaayore, Thaayorre, Thayore, Thayorre. (From Ethnologue.com)

An interesting characteristic of Kuuk Thaayorre, is that like some other Australian Aboriginal languages, it uses absolute cardinal directions. This means that instead of talking about left and right, ahead, behind, etc, they use compass directions (north, east, south, west). They say things like, “There’s an ant on your southeast leg”. (From Omniglot)

An interesting paper on Time and Space by Alice Gaby can be found online here.

General Language Information:

Tiwi is an language isolate spoken on the Tiwi Islands off the north coast of Northern Territory of Australia near Darwin. There are about 1800-2000 speakers of the language.  It is one of the larger Aboriginal language groups in Australia and one where children are still learning the language. Over the years Tiwi has undergone, and is still undergoing, considerable change. The traditional style of Tiwi (polysynthetic form) is only spoken by older Tiwi whereas modern Tiwi (isolating form) is spoken by the younger generations. There are eight dialects: Jikilawuru, Wurankuwu, Malawu, Munupi, Marrikawuyanga, Wulirankuwu, Yimpinari, and Mantiyupi.

This Wikipedia article has a good summary of the language.

General Language Information:

The Walmajarri language (Ethnologue/ISO code: wmt) is a Pama–Nyungan language spoken by the Walmajarri people. The Walmajarri traditionally lived in the Great Sandy Desert to the south of the Kimberley but subsequent events took them to cattle stations, towns and missions scattered over a wide area in the north of Western Australia.  Currently Walmajarri people live in towns and communities from Mulan (Lake Gregory) in the east along the Fitzroy River valley and as far west as Bidjadanga on the coast.

General Language Information:

Wangurri is one of the varieties of Dhangu-Djangu (a Yolŋu language) located in North East Arnhem in the Northern Territory.

The Gospel of Mark in Wangurri was dedicated on 8th November 2015.

To view this dedication click below:

General Language Information:

The Warlpiri language is spoken by more than 3,000 people living in a wide area of central Australia. The centre of this area is located in the Tanami desert and the main communities include: Lajamanu (formerly Hooker Creek), Yuendumu, Nyirrip and Willowra in the Northern Territory.

AuSIL (Australian Society for Indigenous Languages) began the first Bible translation work in the late 1960’s with the first portion published in 1985. Ensuring translation work saw the release of a Shorter Bible ‘Yimi-Nyayirni-Wangu Kaatu-Kurlangu’ published by Bible Society in 2001, this was reprinted in 2004. The Old Testament includes Genesis, Ruth and Jonah; with selections from Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua and Judges – plus Psalm 23 with a complete New Testament.

General Language Information:

Warramiri is the name of one of the ‘clans’ and language groups of the Yolŋu Indigenous people of North-east Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. Although spread out across this area in various townships, around 40–50 Warramiri members now live at Gäwa, a small, very remote homeland at the tip of Elcho Island.

https://telrp.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41039-017-0052-x

General Language Information:

Spoken by around 1,000 people in and around Hermannsburg (Ntaria), 125km west of Alice Springs in the heat of the West MacDonnell Ranges in the Northern Territory.

The Hermannsburg Mission, later to become the Finke River Mission, was established in 1877 and became for many years the largest settlement in central Australia. It was through the work of Pastor Carl Strehlow, who arrived in Hermannsburg in 1894, that the mission really began to develop. Several buildings including a school and church were built (and still remain as historic buildings today. Strehlow, a talented linguist, began to document the Western Arrarnta people’s traditional practises and language and to the Western Arrarnta people Strehlow became ‘ingkata’, a trusted leader and teacher.

This work was continued by his son Ted Strehlow. The Western Arrarnta language is taught to the local children in the Hermannsburg school.The Mission was handed back to the Western Arrarnta people in 1982, but remains a strongly  Lutheran community.

Carl Strehlow was the first to translate the New Testament into Western Arrarnta and Bible Translation work has continued over the years. The latest version ‘Altjirraka Angkatja’ is a work coordinated by Pastor Paul Albrecht which was completed and published by the Bible Society in 1997. The Study New Testament contains Old Testament portions and a complete revision of the New Testament.

General Language Information:

Wik-Mungkan is a language spoken in and around Aurukun on the west coast of Cape York Peninsula in the north of Queensland. There are also some speakers of Wik-Mungkan or closely related dialects living at Weipa, Edward River, Kowanyama and Coen.

There are approximately 400 speakers of Wik-Mungkan and a further 600 people who use it as a second language.

Wik-Mungkan is used in bilingual education in schools, a programme first introduced in 1973, then revived in 1993.

The term ‘Wik-Mungkan’ can be used to refer to the language as well as the ‘tribe’ speaking it. Dialect names throughout this region are commonly prefixed by the term ‘Wik’ meaning ‘language’ and the following term denoting the particular dialect. In this case Wik-Mungkan means ‘those who say mungkan to mean eating.’

The English language has adopted at least one Wik-Mungkan term ‘taipan’ as a term for a venomous snake.

The Wik-Mungkan New Testament ‘Wik Inangan Kan-Kanam God.antama‘ was printed in 1985 and contains the entire New Testament.

General Language Information:

The Worrorran language family consists of a large number of languages and dialects, historically spoken in the northern Kimberley region. Although critically endangered, it can be found in the areas from” Collier bay to Prince Regent river; Secure bay and Walcott inlet; northern boundary Rothsay Water, inland about 40–50 km along Princess May ranges to Mount Hann, Mount French and cliff base of the tablelands. (ethnologue.com)

Useful Links….

Handbook of Kimberley Languages by William McGregor

General Language Information:

Wubuy is the language of the approximately 500 Nunggubuyu people living in the area near Numbulwar on the Gulf of Carpentaria in the Northern Territory. In the past this language was known as ‘Nunggubuyu’, however it is more correctly the name of the people group meaning “people of Wubuy”.

It is used as a partial or second language by a further 400 people in the Numbulwar region. Speakers are bilingual in Kriol, and while they understand Wubuy children generally speak Kriol.

According to Dr Brett Baker (University of Newcastle) “Difficulties in deciphering Wubuy grammar has meant it has been relatively overlooked.” The Wubuy language is unique and complex.

Early Bible translation work in Wubuy began with CMS Missionary Len Harris (pictured right) when he realised one of the languages, Wubuy, was widely understood around the Arnhem Land coast because its speakers, the Nunggubuyu people, were great travellers by canoe or across country. It was a kind of “lingua franca” in those days, so Len decided that it would be the best language into which to translate the Bible.

A MiniBible was printed in the early 1990’s, containing 70% of the New Testament and a small selection of Old Testament portions (Genesis 1-11, Ruth & Jonah). Continuing work by the Wubuy translators with assistance from Michael & Margaret Hore saw the dedication of the New Testament (along with Old Testament portions) at Numbulwar in September 2010.