K35: Wilawila

AIATSIS code: 
K35
AIATSIS reference name: 
Wilawila

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Name
Thesaurus heading language
Wilawila language K35
Thesaurus heading people
Wilawila people K35
ABN name
-
ABS name
-
Horton name
Ngarinyin (Wilawila)
Ethnologue name
Wilawila
ISO 639-3 code
wil
Tindale name
Wilawila
Tindale (1974)
Wular: (said to be a language name), Taib (horde on Carson River, also claims to be of Miwa tribe), Wulu, Taibange (member of Taib), Munumbara (horde on headwaters of Forrest River), Munumburu, Kalari: (horde on middle Drysdale River), Andedja (horde on southern tributaries of upper Forrest River), Andidja, Andadja, Piarngongo (horde at Mount Beatrice; there is also a horde of Ola tribe of Purunor moiety, and same name, south and southwest of Karunjie), ? Kundjanan, Kandjanan, ? Ullumbuloo.
O'Grady et al (1966)
-
Glottocode
wila1240
Other sources
-
Synonyms
Ngarinyin, Guwij, Munumburru, Ngarinjin, Ngarnawu, Ungarinjin, Wolyamidi, Andadja, Andedja, Andidja, Kalari, Kandjanan, Kundjanan, Munumbara, Munumburu, Piarngongo, Taib, Taibange, Ullumbuloo, WilaWila, Wular, Wulu, Wila Wila, Wular:, Kalari:, Worrorran
Comment
Comments: 

Wilawila is a non-Pama-Nyungan language of the Worrorran family, specifically Northern Worrorran, along with Miwa K44; Gunin/Kwini K36; Gambera K39; Yiiji K32; Wunambal K22; and (tentitively) Gulunggulu K59 (McGregor and Rumsey, 2009:8).

Coate and Oates (1970) say that Wilawila, spoken north of Ngarinjin K18, is a dialect of Ngarinjin. McGregor (1988) classifies this in the Wunambalic group of the Worroran family.

This Wilawila does not seem to be the same Wilawila that Tindale discusses under his entry on Wunambal K22.

Harvey (ASEDA 802) says Tindale's statements under Wunambal concerning Wilawila are unclear. Harvey reports that in 2007 nobody recognised Wilawila as attaching to either the Osborne Islands or Carson River. Rather, they recognised it as attaching to Bigge Island and the Hunter River area on the coast opposite Bigge Island.

 

References: 
  • Coate, H., and L. Oates. 1970. A grammar of Ngarinjin, Western Australia: Australian Aboriginal Studies 25, Linguistic Series 10. Canberra: AIAS.
  • Harvey, Mark. 2008. Non-Pama-Nyungan Languages: land-language associations at colonisation. AILEC 0802.
  • McGregor, William. 1988. Handbook of Kimberley languages, vol. 1: General information: Pacific Linguistics C-105. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
  • McGregor, William, & Alan Rumsey. 2009. Worrorran revisited: the case for genetic relations among languages of the Northern Kimberley region of Western Australia: Pacific Linguistics 600. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
Status: 
Potential data
Location
State / Territory: 
WA
Location information: 

On Carson and middle Drysdale rivers from near Mount Connelly south to lower Gibb and Durack rivers; an inland tribe (Tindale 1974).

Maps: 
-
Links

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PDF icon Oates_K35.pdf
Tindale 1974
OLAC
SIL
Handbook of Kimberley Languages (1988): 

Nganawongka (A37 ) in Handbook of Kimberley Languages (1988).

5.16 Wilawila

Names of the language and different spellings that have been used:
Wilawila (Black, Black & Walsh, Capell, Capell & Coate), Wila-wila (AIAS), Wila-Wila (Oates, Oates & Oates SIL), 'Wila'Wila (Tindale)
Classification of the language:
Worrorran family, Wunambalic group
Identification codes:
AIAS: K35
Oates 1973: 46.1b
Capell: K15
Present number and distribution of speakers:
Not known
People who have worked intensively on the language:
No one
Practical orthography:
None; North Kimberley orthography would be suitable.
Word lists:
SIL (1971)
Textual material:
None
Grammar or sketch grammar:
None; Capell & Coate (1984) contains some information.
Material available on the language:
Capell, A. & Coate, H.H.J. 1984. Comparative studies in northern Kimberley languages. Canberra: PL, C-69.
Glasgow, D.I., Hocking, F.M. & Steiner, W.L. nd. Report [to AIAS] on surveys of languages and dialects of the north-east Kimberleys. 9pp. typescript. AIAS.
Summer Institute of Linguistics. 1971. AIAS word list for N.E. Kimberleys survey: Wila Wila language. AIAS tapes A2185,2186. AIAS pMs 1759.
Language programme:
None
Language learning material:
None
Literacy material:
None

McGregor, William. 1988 Handbook of Kimberley Languages. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. © Author.

AIATSIS gratefully acknowledge William McGregor for permission to use his material in AUSTLANG.

Programs
Activities: 
-
People: 
Daisy Utemorrah (dec.)
Indigenous organisations: 

Kimberley Language Resource Cente

Speakers
Year Source Speaker numbers
1975Oatesexist
1984Senate-
1990Schmidt-
1996Census-
2001Census-
2004NILS1-
2005Estimate-
2006Census-
2011Census-
2014NILS2
2016Census-
2018-2019NILS3

Speaker numbers were measured differently across the censuses and various other sources listed in AUSTLANG. You are encouraged to refer to the sources.

Speaker numbers for ‘NILS 2004’ and ‘2005 estimate’ come from 'Table F.3: Numbers of speakers of Australian Indigenous languages (various surveys)' in 'Appendix F NILS endangerment and absolute number results' in McConvell, Marmion and McNicol 2005, pages 198-230 (PDF, 2.5MB).

Documentation
Type Documentation Status Documentation Score
Word list Less than 20 pages 1
Text Collection None 0
Grammar None 0
Audio-visual 1-10 2
Manuscript note: 
Not available
Grammar: 
-
Dictionary: 
-
Classification
Source Family Group Sub-group Name Relationship
Ethnologue (2005) Wororan     Wilawila Ngarinyin [dialects: Wilawila, Wolyamidi, Guwidj, Wurla (Worla, Worlaja, Wula, Ola, Walar, Wuladja, Wuladjangari)]
Dixon (2002)   NORTH KIMBERLEY AREAL GROUP   Wilawila Wunambal McGregor (1993) further dialects: Wilawila, Gamberre, Kwini (=Gunin), Ginan, Miwa (=Bagu), Yiidji (=Forrest River)
Wurm (1994) Wororan Ungarinjinic   Wilawila  
Walsh (1981) Wororan Ungarinjinic   Wilawila  
Oates (1975) Wororan Ngarinjinic   Wila-Wila  
Wurm (1972) Wororan Ngarinyinic   Wilawila  
O'Grady, Voegelin and Voegelin (1966) Wororan Ungarinyinic   Wilawila