The classification of Yirandali is uncertain. In Sutton (1973:44-45), Yirandhali (L42) is excluded from the Mari group since it shares less than 50 per cent vocabulary with its closest Maric neighbours.
Terrill (1998:99), however, tentatively includes it, cautioning that it would be premature to rule out a genetic relationship between Yirandhali and the other Maric languages.
Pooroga, Dalleburra and Yirandali (and variants) have all been used to refer to this language.
Oates (1975) says Dalleburra is a group name.
Tindale (1974) says Pooroga is the language name of the Jirandali people.
Bennett (1927) uses Dalleburra as both people and language name. Both Terrill (1998) and Sutton (1973) use Yirandhali (L42).
Curr (1886, vol. 2, pp. 460-463) gives two 'specimens' of language data for Pooroga, which he says were 'obtained probably from persons of distinct tribes'.
On upper Dutton and Flinders rivers west of the Great Dividing Range, from near Mount Sturgeon south to Caledonia; west to near Richmond, Corfield, and east of Winton; on Torrens, Tower Hill, and Landsborough Creeks; at Lammermoor, Hughenden, and Tangorin (Tindale 1974).
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North Queensland Regional Aboriginal Corporation Language Centre
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).
