Ritharrngu language

"Wagilag language" redirects here. For the Wagilag sisters myth, see Wawalag.

The Ritharnggu language (Ritharrŋu, Ritharngu, Ritarungo) is an Australian Aboriginal language of the Yolŋu language group, spoken in Australia's Northern Territory.

Ritharnggu
Ritarungo, Ritharrŋu, etc.
Native to	Australia
Region	Northern Territory
Ethnicity	Ritharrngu
Native speakers	9 (2021 census, listed as "Wagilak")[1]
Language family	Pama–Nyungan Yolngu Matha Southern (Dhuwal) Ritharnggu
Dialects	Ritharngu Wagilak
Signed forms	Yolŋu Sign Language
Language codes
ISO 639-3	rit
Glottolog	rita1239
AIATSIS[2]	N104
ELP	Ritharrngu

Dialects align with the two kinship moieties of the Ritharrngu people, one of several Yolngu peoples: (a) Ritharnggu (Yirritja moiety), and (b) Wagilak language (Dua moiety).^[3] The Manggurra (the other Dua clan) now speak Ritharnggu, but apparently shifted from Nunggubuyu.

Language revival

As of 2020^[update], Wägilak/Ritharrŋu is one of 20 languages prioritised as part of the Priority Languages Support Project, being undertaken by First Languages Australia and funded by the Department of Communications and the Arts. The project aims to "identify and document critically-endangered languages — those languages for which little or no documentation exists, where no recordings have previously been made, but where there are living speakers".^[4]

Grammar

Ritharnggu has a split ergativity system. Pronouns use nominative/accusative alignment, humans and higher animals a tripartite system, and everything else ergative/absolutive.^[5]