W40: Ngarla

AIATSIS code: 
W40
AIATSIS reference name: 
Ngarla

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Name
Thesaurus heading language
Ngarla language W40
Thesaurus heading people
Ngarla people W40
ABN name
Ngarla language
ABS name
Other Australian Indigenous Languages, nec (Ngarla)
Horton name
Ngarla
Ethnologue name
Ngarla
ISO 639-3 code
nlr
Tindale name
Ngarla
Tindale (1974)
Nga:la (valid variant), Ngala, Ngerla (valid variant), Ngurla, Ngirla, Ngala, Gnalla, Ngalana, Kudjunguru ('coast dwellers,' applied by Njamal to this and Kariara tribe).
O'Grady et al (1966)
Wanbarda, Ngurla, Ngirla, Ngala, Gnalla
Glottocode
ngar1286
Other sources
Synonyms
Kudjunguru, Other Australian Indigenous Languages, Ngurla, Bedengo, Bidungo, Bidungu, Gnalla, Nga:la, Ngaea, Ngala, Ngalana, Ngerla, Ngirla, Ngoorla, Palatoj, Pardoo, Pedong, Peedona, Peedong, Pidungu, Pidong, Wanbarda
Comment
Comments: 
Not to be confused with Ngarla A48, which is an inland language around the headwaters of the Ashburton and Gascoyne Rivers. This Ngarla (W40) is a coastal language.
References: 
  • Westerlund, Torbjörn. 2007. A grammatical sketch of Ngarla: a language of Western Australia. South Hedland, WA: Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre.
  • Tindale, Norman B. 1974. Aboriginal tribes of Australia: their terrain, environmental controls, distribution, limits, and proper names. Berkeley: University of California Press/Canberra: Australian National University Press.
Status: 
Confirmed
Location
State / Territory: 
WA
Location information: 

On the coast west of Solitary Island to mouth of the de Grey River; at Pardoo; inland to Mulyie; formerly inland as far as Yarrie but contracting at time of early white contacts (Tindale 1974).

... along the coast of Western Australia, in the Pilbara region, north of the modern city of Port Hedland (von Brandenstein 1967: map 5) (Westerlund 2007:8).

 

Maps: 
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Tindale 1974
Handbook of Western Australian Aboriginal languages south of the Kimberley region
OLAC
SIL
Programs
Activities: 
-
People: 
Brown Geytenbeek, Alexander Brown, Janet Sharp, Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre
Indigenous organisations: 
-
Speakers
Year Source Speaker numbers
1975Oates>10
1984Senate-
1990Schmidt10
1996Census-
2001Census-
2004NILS1-
2005Estimate0
2006Census-
2011Census-
2014NILS2
2016Census-
2018-2019NILS31-10

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 Medium (100-200 pages) 3
Text Collection   3 (mainly songs)
Grammar A few articles 1
Audio-visual Less than 1 1
Manuscript note: 
tape transcription/field note available
Grammar: 

Westerlund, Torbjörn. 2007. A grammatical sketch of Ngarla: a language of Western Australia. South Hedland, WA: Wangka Maya PALC.

Dictionary: 

Geytenbeek, Brown, (2002), Ngarla-English Dictionary. South Hedland, WA: Wangka Maya PALC.

Classification
Source Family Group Sub-group Name Relationship
Ethnologue (2005) Pama-Nyungan South-West Inland Ngayarda Ngarla Panytyima [dialects: Related to Yinawongga, Ngarlawangga, Ngarla, Tjurruru, which may be extinct, and Nyamal.]
Dixon (2002)   GASCOYNE RIVER TO PILBARA AREAL GROUP Pilbara/Ngayarta areal group Ngarla (or Kudjunguru) Ngarla (or Kudjunguru)
Wurm (1994) Pama-Nyungan South-West   Ngarla  
Walsh (1981) Pama-Nyungan South-West Inland Ngayarda Ngarla  
Oates (1975) Pama-Nyungan Pilbara-Nyungar (Southwest) Coastal Ngayarda Ngarla  
Wurm (1972) Pama-Nyungan Southwest (or Nyungic) Ngayarda Ngarla  
O'Grady, Voegelin and Voegelin (1966) Pama-Nyungan Southwest Ngayarda Ngarla