Guugu Yimidhirr
Guugu Yimidhirr is a Pama-Nyungan language spoken in Australia, by about 780 people. Glottolog rates it moribund.
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Guugu Yimithirr barely uses “left” and “right”: positions are given by compass direction — “there’s an ant on your east foot”. Its speakers keep track of north wherever they are. English kangaroo comes from this language.
Guugu Yimithirr, also rendered Guugu Yimidhirr, Guguyimidjir, and many other spellings, is an Australian Aboriginal language, the traditional language of the Guugu Yimithirr people of Far North Queensland. It belongs to the Pama-Nyungan language family. Most of the speakers today live at the community of Hope Vale, about 46 kilometres (29 mi) from Cooktown. However, as of June 2020 only about half of the Guugu Yimithirr nation speak the language. As such, efforts are being made to teach it to children. Guugu Yimithirr is the source language of the word kangaroo (gangurru).
From Wikipedia · Guugu Yimithirr language · CC BY-SA 4.0
Words in Guugu Yimidhirr
| Meaning | Word | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| eye | miil | |
| tongue | nganhdhaar | |
| head | ngaabaay | |
| water | poorai | |
| dog | gudaa | |
| bird | dyidyirr | |
| horse | yarraman | |
| egg | gundil |
Most similar languages
Vocabulary
Grammar
- WajarriPama-Nyungan92% alike
- AlyawarrPama-Nyungan92% alike
- WakawakaPama-Nyungan89% alike
- NgaanyatjarraPama-Nyungan89% alike
- Western ArrarntaPama-Nyungan88% alike
- JaruPama-Nyungan88% alike
Vocabulary compares 40 basic words (ASJP); grammar compares 195 features (Grambank). Similar is not always related.
Nearby languages
Elsewhere
Glottolog · gugu1255 · Wikipedia (English) · Ethnologue · kky