Kukatj, also rendered Gugadj, is an extinct

Paman language The Paman languages are an Australian language family spoken on Cape York Peninsula, Queensland. First noted by Kenneth Hale, Paman is noteworthy for the profound phonological changes which have affected some of its descendants. Classifica ...

of the

Cape York Peninsula Cape York Peninsula is a large peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest unspoiled wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth’s last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. The name Kalibamu has also been assigned to it, although this may be a separate dialect. It is spoken by the

Kukatj The Kukatj are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Cape York Peninsula in the state of Queensland. They are to be distinguished from the Kukatja of Western Australia and the Luritja of the Northern Territory, who have also historically been k ...

people. A single speaker was last recorded in 1975. It has also been referred to as Kukatja, but this is not to be confused with the Kukatja Western Desert Language spoken south of

Balgo, Western Australia Balgo, previously Balgo Hills and Balgo Mission, is a community in Western Australia that is linked with both the Great Sandy Desert and the Tanami Desert. The community is in the Shire of Halls Creek, off the Tanami Road, and was establishe ...

, or the

Luritja dialect The Luritja dialect is the language of the Luritja people, an Aboriginal Australian group indigenous to parts of the Northern Territory and Western Australia. It is one of several dialects in the Western Desert language group. Origin and mean ...

of the Western Desert Language, spoken in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Au ...

also referred to as Kukatja by some. Other synonyms for Kukatj are Marago, Gudadj, Gudadji, Gugady, Gugatj, Kokatj, Kukatji, Kukatyi, and Konggada.

Kalibamu

AIATSIS assigns a separate code to Kalibamu (G27), with the synonyms Kukatj, Galimbamu, Galibamu, Golbiri, and Kotanda, although its status is listed as "Unconfirmed" . It says that while Galibamu is reported as a separate dialect by

Capell Capell or Capel is a surname. Notable people with the name include: Capell * Arthur Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Hadham (1608–1649), English politician * Arthur Capell, 1st Earl of Essex (1631–1683), English statesman * Arthur Capell (1902– ...

(1963) and Tindale, Breen (2006) says that Galibamu appears to be the same as what he calls Kukatj. It is spoken by the

Kalibamu The Kalibamu, also known as the Kotanda, were an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of Queensland. Language Besides the oral Kalibamu language (also known as Kukatj, although it may be a separate dialect), the Kalibamu had a sign language ...

people.

Sounds

Vowel inventory

References

{{Pama–Nyungan languages, Paman Paman languages Extinct languages of Queensland