Jarrakan languages
Language family of northern Australia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Jarrakan (formerly Djeragan) languages are a small family of Australian Aboriginal languages spoken in northern Australia. The name is derived from the word jarrak, which means "language" in Kija.
Quick Facts Geographic distribution, Linguistic classification ...
Jarrakan | |
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Djeragan | |
Geographic distribution | from Halls Creek to Wyndham and Kununurra along the Ord River in the eastern Kimberley region |
Linguistic classification | One of the world's primary language families |
Subdivisions |
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Glottolog | jarr1235 |
Jarrakan languages (purple), among other non-Pama-Nyungan languages (grey) |
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The three main Jarrakan languages are:
- Jarrakan
- Kija (about 160 speakers)
- Miriwoongic
- Miriwoong (about 150 speakers)
- Gajirrawoong (3 or 4 speakers)
These are divided into two groups: Kijic, consisting of only Kija, and Miriwoongic, consisting of Miriwoong and Gajirrawoong; Dixon (2002) considers the latter to be a single language.
Doolboong may also have been a Jarrakan language, but this uncertain as it is extinct and essentially unattested.