Gulidjan (Coligan, Kolijon, Kolitjon), also known as Kolakngat (Kolacgnat, Colac), is an extinct
Aboriginal Australian language of the
Gulidjan people of the state of
Victoria, Australia. There is very limited data available on the language, but linguists have suggested that it is a mixed language, containing elements of neighbouring languages.
Attestation
The language is first attested in 1839. Though much of the detail and vocabulary has been lost, there is sufficient to confirm that it constituted a separate language. About 100 words have survived. Some analysis suggests it may be a mixed language or
creole language
A creole language, or simply creole, is a stable form of contact language that develops from the process of different languages simplifying and mixing into a new form (often a pidgin), and then that form expanding and elaborating into a full-fl ...
having something in common with each of the neighbouring languages. Earliest sources refer to the language as ''Gulidjan'', although
James Dawson favoured ''Kolakgnat'', which means 'belonging to sand'.
Gulidjan
'', Victorian Aboriginal Languages Directory. Accessed 15 December 2008 No speakers have been recorded since 1975, so it is considered an
extinct language
An extinct language or dead language is a language with no living native speakers. A dormant language is a dead language that still serves as a symbol of ethnic identity to an ethnic group; these languages are often undergoing a process of r ...
.
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References
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Kulinic languages
Extinct languages of Victoria (state)
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