The Worrorran (Wororan) languages are a small

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Australian Aboriginal languages 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 ...

spoken in northern

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. The Worrorran languages fall into three

dialect cluster A dialect is a variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standardized varieties as well as vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardized varieties, such as those used in developing countries or iso ...

s: * Worrorran ** the Northern Worrorran group, known as

Wunambal The Wunambal (Unambal), also known as Wunambal Gaambera, Uunguu (referring to their lands), and other names, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the northern Kimberley region of Western Australia. People The Wunambal were, according to Norma ...

and related dialects ** the Eastern Worrorran group, known as

Ngarinyin The Ngarinyin or Ngarinjin are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Kimberley (Western Australia), Kimberley region of Western Australia. Their language, Ngarinyin language, Ngarinyin, is also known as Ungarinyin. When referring to their tradit ...

, Ungarinyin, and related dialects ** the Western Worrorran group, known as

Worrorra The Worrorra, also written Worora, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Kimberley area of north-western Australia. The term is sometimes used to describe speakers of the (Western) Worrorra language, and sometimes groups whose traditiona ...

, and related dialects In addition, Gulunggulu is unattested but presumably a Worrorran

lect In sociolinguistics, a variety, also known as a lect or an isolect, is a specific form of a language or language cluster. This may include languages, dialects, registers, styles, or other forms of language, as well as a standard variety.Meecha ...

Validity

left, Worrorran languages (purple), among other non-Pama-Nyungan languages (grey) There has been debate over whether the Worrorran languages are demonstrably related to one another, or constitute a geographical language group. Dixon (2002) considers them to be

language isolate A language isolate is a language that has no demonstrable genetic relationship with any other languages. Basque in Europe, Ainu and Burushaski in Asia, Sandawe in Africa, Haida and Zuni in North America, Kanoê in South America, and Tiwi ...

s with no demonstrable relationship other than that of a ''

Sprachbund A sprachbund (, from , 'language federation'), also known as a linguistic area, area of linguistic convergence, or diffusion area, is a group of languages that share areal features resulting from geographical proximity and language contact. Th ...

''. However, more recent literature differs from Dixon: * Rumsey and McGregor (2009) demonstrate the cohesiveness of the family and its reconstructibility, and; * Bowern (2011) accepts the Worroorran languages as a family.

Vocabulary

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 (1902–1 ...

(1940) lists the following basic vocabulary items for the Worrorran languages:Capell, Arthur. 1940
The Classification of Languages in North and North-West Australia
''Oceania'' 10(3): 241-272, 404-433. :

References

* *

Validity

Vocabulary

References

Further reading