Yarli (Yardli) was a dialect cluster of

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 northwestern

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

and into Northeastern

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

individually

Malyangapa The Malyangaapa are an Indigenous Australian people who live in the far north western areas of the state of New South Wales. Language The Malyangapa spoke a dialect of the Yarli language. Country Malyangaapa country extends over some with its ...

(Maljangapa),

Yardliyawara The Yardliyawara, also known as the Jadliaura and variant spellings, are an Aboriginal Australian people of South Australia. Language The Yardliyawara language is classified as one of the Karnic languages, though this has been disputed, and is n ...

, and

Wadikali Yarli (Yardli) was a dialect cluster of Australian Aboriginal languages spoken in northwestern New South Wales and into Northeastern South Australia individually Malyangapa (Maljangapa), Yardliyawara, and Wadikali (Wardikali, Wadigali). Bo ...

(Wardikali, Wadigali). Bowern (2002) notes

Karenggapa The Karenggapa are an Aboriginal Australian people of New South Wales. Country Norman Tindale estimated the extent of their tribal lands at , reaching from Mount Bygrave in northwestern New South Wales to Woodbum Lake in Queensland. They too ...

as part of the area, but there is little data. Tindale (1940) groups Wanjiwalku & Karenggapa together with Wadikali & Maljangapa as the only languages in NSW that are behind the 'Rite of Circumcision' border - which suggests Wanjiwalku to also be part of the Yarli area.

Classification

The three varieties are very close. Hercus & Austin (2004) classify them as the Yarli branch of the Pama–Nyungan family. Dixon (2002) regards the three as

dialect A dialect is a Variety (linguistics), variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standard language, standardized varieties as well as Vernacular language, vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardize ...

s of a single language. Bowern (2002) excludes them from the

Karnic languages The Karnic languages are a group of languages of the Pama–Nyungan family. According to Dixon (2002), these are three separate families, but Bowern (2001) establishes regular paradigmatic connections among many of the languages, demonstrating ...

, where they had sometimes been classified.

References

* * Pama–Nyungan languages Extinct languages of New South Wales {{ia-lang-stub