Following Hercus, Wafer and Lissarrague divide the Darling River language into two groups: Southern Darling River includes Southern Paakantyi D61, Wilyaali (~Wilyakali) D16, Thaangkali (~Thangkakali) (D14), Pulaali (Pulakali) D11, Wanyuparlku (~Wanyiwalku) D21, Pantyikali D17, Marrawarra D6, Parrintyi D48:. Northern Darling River or Paakantyi D12, Paaruntyi D47, Kurnu D25, Nhaawuparlku (Nhaawarlku) D19 and Milpulo D59. (2008: 263-267).
The language name comes from 'thangka' for 'bread' and the suffix '-kali' indicating 'people' which implies 'the people who say thangka for bread' (Hercus in Wafer & Lissarrague, 2008:266).
Note that Hercus's Paakantyi grammar and dictionary is mainly on Southern Paakantyi D61.
West of the Darling, It extends along the range of hills from Mount Bryant to the Darling near Laidley's Ponds, and forms in its variations the language of the Darling itself (Hercus 1993:7).
Plains southwest of Broken Hill from near Tandou Lake, southwestward to Mount Bryan and Burra Creek, northwest of Morgan, SA, chiefly in the more arid country extending generally eastward to within a few miles of the Darling River (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).
Hercus, Luise. 1982 The Bagandji language: Pacific Linguistics B6.7 Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
Hercus, Luise. 1993 Paakantyi dictionary. Canberra: Luise Hercus.
