Wergaia language

Wergaia or Werrigia is an Australian Aboriginal language in the Wimmera region of north-Western Victoria. The Wergaia language consisted of four distinct dialects: Wudjubalug/Wotjobaluk, Djadjala/Djadjali, Buibadjali, Biwadjali.^[2] Wergaia was in turn apparently a dialect of the Wemba Wemba language, a member of the Kulinic branch of Pama–Nyungan.^[3]

Wergaia
Region	Victoria
Ethnicity	Wergaia, Wotjobaluk
Extinct	(date missing)
Revival	2020–2021
Language family	Pama–Nyungan Kulinic Kulin Wemba-Wemba Wergaia
Dialects	Biwadjali Wudjubalug
Language codes
ISO 639-3	Either: weg – Wergaia xwt – Wotjobaluk
Glottolog	None
AIATSIS[1]	S17
ELP	Wergaia
Map of Victorian Aborigines language territories

The Aboriginal people who speak Wergaia dialects include the Maligundidj or Wergaia people, which means the people belonging to the mali (mallee) eucalypt bushland which covers much of their territory,^[4][5] and the Wotjobaluk people.^[6][7]

In mid-2021 a language revival project started up at the Wotjobaluk Knowledge Place, established in December 2020 at Dimboola. A Wergaia language program would run over 20 weeks.^[8]

Sounds

The following is the Djadjala dialect.

Consonant sounds

	Labial	Alveolar	Retroflex	Palatal	Velar
Stop	b	d	ɖ	ɟ	ɡ
Nasal	m	n	ɳ	ɲ	ŋ
Rhotic		r	ɽ
Lateral		l
Approximant	w			j

Vowels given are /a e i u/.^[9]

Some words

• dhallung (male or buck kangaroo)
• gal (dog)^[10]
• kulkun (a boy)
• laiaruk (a woman)
• lanangurk (a girl)^[10]
• mindyun (a kangaroo)
• muty (doer or female kangaroo)^[10]}
• winya nyua (Who is there?)^[10]
• wotjo (a man)