Marganj D42 and Gunja (D43) are dialects of the same language (Breen (1971:34); Margany D42 and Gunya (D43) are dialects of a language which has no name (Breen 1981:275).
Breen expands 'Margany and Gunya are the south-westernmost of the long chain of closely related dialects (it is not clear yet how many languages they formed) known ... as Mari languages' (Breen 1981:275), which highlights both the uncertain classification of these lects and the variable use of the term 'dialect' in most of the relevant sources.
Both the terminological issue and the uncertain classification are apparent in Schmidt (1981:1), who says there were 'approximately 34 dialects' of 'the Maric language family' (some of which are Margany D42, Gunya (D43), Bidjara E37 and Biri E56), and Terrill (1998:90), who says Margany and Gunya are 'dialects of a language to the south of Biri'.
Warrego River from Cunnamulla north to Auga-thella and Burenda; west to between Cooladdi and Cheepie; east to Morven and Angellala Creek; at Charle-ville (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).
Gavan, Breen.1981. Margany and Gunya. In Handbook of Australian languages, vol. 2, eds. RMW Dixon and B Blake, 274-393. Canberra: ANU.
