Singer et al. (2021:1) say that Wurrugu (N37) is a non-Pama Nyungan language in the Iwaidjan language family, the others in this family are Iwaidja N39, Mawng N64, Amurdak N47, Marrku N45, Ilgar N184 and Garig N188.
Wurrugu is one of four language varieties once spoken around the eastern end of the Cobourg Peninsula in NT, in the area stretching from Popham Bay west to Cape Don (Evans, 1996:91). The four varieties are Wurrugu, Burdinmanduwij N185, Wurdang N181 and Ngardawuli N179. Further, Evans (2007 p.c.) comments that Wurrugu is most likely what was recorded as Popham Bay language by Earl (1853). In his 1846 publication, Earl describes how the four groups of the Cobourg peninsula are identified by the word for 'no' in their respective dialects. What he refers to as 'Popham Bay language' in his 1853 'The native races of the Indian archipelago', he identifies as 'Iyi' in 1846.
Tindale (1974) says that Earl's 'Iyi' is the same as modern Iwaidja N39. (Supporting this hypothesis is the fact that 'iyi' is the Iwaidja word for 'yes' (not 'no')). These two assessment appear contradictory, but Powell (1982:93) notes Tindale's suggestion that Iyi and Yarlo (Earl's Port Essington tribe) may be 'older sub-tribal designations of Warooko'.
Singer, Ruth, Nita Garidjalalug, Rosemary Urabadi, Heather Hewett, Peggy Mirwuma, Philip Ambidjambidj, Anne Fabricus. 2021. Mawng to English Dictionary. Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press.
Wurrugu is one of four language varieties once spoken around the eastern end of the Cobourg Peninsula in NT, in the area stretching from Popham Bay west to Cape Don (Evans 1996:91). This language is now spoken chiefly at the settlement on Croker Island. However it is historically associated with the mainland opposite Croker - the neck of Cobourg Peninsula and the area around Murganella. The language associated with Croker is Marrgu (Harvey PMS 5822). Cobourg Peninsula from the drainages leading into Port Victoria on the northern side and from about Wangarlu Bay on the southern side (Harvey AILEC 802). Western end of Cobourg Peninsula (Tindale 1974).
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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).
