Guugu Yalandji language

Guugu Yalandji, also spelt Kuku-Yalanji, is an Australian Aboriginal language of Queensland. It is the traditional language of the Kuku Yalanji people.

Guugu Yalandji
Region	Queensland
Ethnicity	Kuku Yalanji, Yungkurara, Kuku Nyungkal, Kokobididji, Kokobujundji, Kokokulunggur, Kokowalandja, Wakara, Wakaman,[a] Djankun, Muluridji, ?Wulpura
Native speakers	388 (2021 census)[5]
Language family	Pama–Nyungan Paman? Yalanjic or Yimidhirr–Yalanji–Yidinic Guugu Yalandji
Dialects	Kuku-Yalanji Kuku-Njungkul Kuku-Bididji Kuku-Dungay Kuku-Buyundji Kuku-Kulunggur Kuku-Yalaja (Kuku-Yelandji) Koko-Walandja (Kuku-)Wakura (Kuku-)Wakaman (Kuku-)Djangun (Kuku-)Muluridji Kuku-Jakandji[6]
Writing system	Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-3	Variously: gvn – Kuku-Yalanji djf – Djangun vmu – Muluridyi
Glottolog	yala1261
AIATSIS[7]	Y78
ELP	Kuku-Yalanji
	Djangun[8]
	Muluridyi[9]

Speakers

Despite conflicts between the Kuku Yalanji people and British settlers in Queensland, the Kuku Yalanji language has a healthy number of speakers, and that number is increasing.^[when?] Though the language is threatened, the language use is vigorous and children are learning it in schools. All generations of speakers have positive language attitudes.

The Kuku Yalanji still practise their traditional religion, and they have rich oral traditions. Many people in the Kuku Yalanji community also use English. Around 100 Kuku Yalanji speakers can both read and write in Kuku Yalanji.^[when?]

Phonology

Vowels

Kuku-Yalanji uses the typical three-vowel system, /a, u, i/, used in other Aboriginal Australian languages.^[10]

	Front	Back
High	i	u
Low	a

Consonants

This table uses the standard orthography used by both linguists and the speech community. Where the orthography differs from the IPA representation, the orthography is in brackets.

Stop sounds can range between voiced and voiceless releases.^[10]

	Peripheral		Laminal	Apical
	Labial	Velar	Palatal	Alveolar	Retroflex
Plosive	p ~ b ⟨b⟩	k ~ ɡ ⟨g⟩	c ~ ɟ ⟨j⟩	t ~ d ⟨d⟩
Nasal	m	ŋ ⟨ng⟩	ɲ ⟨ny⟩	n
Lateral				l
Trill				r ⟨rr⟩
Approximant	w		j ⟨y⟩		ɻ ⟨r⟩

Footnotes

1. Not to be confused with the language of the Wakaman people, Wagaman, probably a variant of the mutually intelligible Agwamin and Wamin languages, Wakaman a dialect of Kuku Yalanji. See also Wagaman language (disambiguation).^[1][2][3][4]