Guugu Yalandji, also spelt Kuku-Yalanji, is an
Australian Aboriginal language
The Indigenous languages of Australia number in the hundreds, the precise number being quite uncertain, although there is a range of estimates from a minimum of around 250 (using the technical definition of 'language' as non-mutually intellig ...
of
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
. It is the traditional language of the
Kuku Yalanji people.
Speakers
Despite conflicts between the Kuku Yalanji people and British settlers in Queensland, the Kuku Yalanji language has a healthy number of speakers, and that number is increasing. Though the language is
threatened
A threatened species is any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which is vulnerable to extinction in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensatio ...
, the language use is vigorous and children are learning it in schools. All generations of speakers have positive language attitudes.
The Kuku Yalanji still practise their traditional religion, and they have rich
oral tradition
Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication in which knowledge, art, ideas and culture are received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another.Jan Vansina, Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (19 ...
s. Many people in the Kuku Yalanji community also use English. Around 100 Kuku Yalanji speakers can both read and write in Kuku Yalanji.
Phonology
Vowels
Kuku-Yalanji uses the typical three-vowel system, /a, u, i/, used in other Aboriginal Australian languages.
Consonants
This table uses the standard orthography used by both linguists and the speech community. Where the orthography differs from the IPA representation, the orthography is in brackets.
Stop sounds can range between voiced and voiceless releases.
Footnotes
References
External links
Bibliography of Gugu Yalandji people and language resources at the
Bibliography of Gugu Djangun people and language resources at the
Bibliography of Gugu Gulunggur people and language resources at the
Bibliography of Gugu Muluriji people and language resources, at the
Bibliography of Gugu Wakura people and language resources at the
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Yalanjic languages