Wuna is a non-Pama Nyungan language from northern Australia. Breen recorded Wuna (N29) language in 1980 and 1981 at Humpty Doo with the late Mr Jack Wandi (MS 1720). Been recorded the language name as Wulna, and as Wuna; a third written form, Wunna, suggests the nasal is geminate (Breen, p.c. November 2018). Jack Wandi also spoke Minitya N42 which was mixed into the Wuna sessions (Harvey, 2001:5).
Baker says that this language appears to be related to Limilngan N42, and thus it is tentatively classified in the Limilngan family. Evidence from comparing verbal paradigms, nominal cognates and locative case marking between Wuna and Limilngan N42 indicate a possible relationship, but Harvey is less certain. These correspondences could be the result of inheritance from widespread Proto Australian forms or diffusion (2001:5).
It appears there has been some confusion between Wulna (N29) and Wulwulam N32, and it is likely that items on Wulna are described as being on Wulwulam. This language has also been called Djerimanga, but this name was not recognised by Breen's collaborator Jack Wandi in 1980. Djerimanga occurs in Capell (1963) who notes 'Nothing is known beyond a mention by Eylmann, 1908'; it subsequently occurs in Oates and Oates 1970 and Tindale 1974.
Mouth of Adelaide River and coast east, south to the junction of the Adelaide and Margaret Rivers (Top End) in the lower Adelaide River valley (Harvey PMS 5822).
The general association was to the Adelaide River drainage below the junction of the Adelaide and the Margaret. Lake Finniss was associated with Wuna. Cape Hotham and Ruby Island were associated with Wuna. The Vernon Islands were associated with Gulumoerrgin (Harvey AILEC 0802).
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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).
