Kalali language
| Bulloo River | |
|---|---|
| (Old) Garlali | |
| (Old) Wankumara | |
| Region | Bulloo River, Queensland |
| Ethnicity | Kalali, Wongkumara |
| Extinct | (date missing) |
Pama–Nyungan
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Either:gll – Garlalixwk – Wangkumara [partial match] |
| Glottolog | None |
| AIATSIS[1] | D30 Kullilli, L25 Wangkumara |
| ELP | Garlali |
The Bulloo River language, variously known as Garlali (Galali, Gaḷali, Kalali, Kullili, Kullilla) and (Old) Wanggumara (Wankumara, Wongkumara, Waŋkumara), is a poorly attested Australian Aboriginal language. Bulloo River is one of several geographically transitional 'Karna–Mari fringe' languages that have not been convincingly classified.[1]
Both the Garlili and the Wanggumara lived by the Bulloo River and the Wilson River in South West Queensland. There is some debate whether they originated by the Bulloo River and migrated to the Wilson River or vice versa. For instance, Gavan Breen posited that some groups in southwest Queensland had abandoned their original languages (but not their names) and adopted the Wilson River language in the early days of Mhite Australian settlement, when people moved from Thargomindah to Nockatunga (near the modern town of Noccundra). Regardless, the people living by the Wilson River continued speaking an aboriginal language longer than those living by the Bulloo River, so the Wilson River language is sometimes referred to as 'New' or 'Modern' Garlili/Wanggumara.
The Bulloo River Garlili lived around the area from Thargomindah southward to the Currawinya Lakes and west to Bulloo Lakes and north to Norley Station. Bulloo River Galali was studied by Gavan Breen (from a speaker named Charlie Phillips). The informant Charlie Phillips aged 74 years, born at Backwood Station south of Hungerford in southwest Queensland, spoke the language fluently and confidently despite having not used the language conversationally for 40 years.
General characteristics
[Is this the Bulloo River or Wilson River language?] Wankamara (Galali) is entirely suffixing and morphologically fairly simple having the following word classes: nominal (noun and pronoun), verb, particle, and interjection. The word order is random and free. The phonemes consist of three vowels and 26 consonants.
References
- ^ a b D30 Kullilli at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (see the info box for additional links)
External links
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