Nungali (N28) is non-Pama Nyungan language from the Barkly Tableland in the Northern Territory and classified as a member of the Western Mirndi group. The Mirndi languages are spread across two geographically non-contiguous areas: Western Mirndi with Nungali and 'Jaminjungan' (Jaminjung N18, Ngaliwurru N19) and Eastern Mirndi, with Jingulu C22, Ngarnka N121 and 'Wambayan' (see Binbinka N138, Gudanji C26, Wambaya C19).
It is not certain if Nungali is a distinct language or a divergent dialect of 'Jaminjungan' (Harvey 2008:1-3).
Nordlinger describes the first group located in the geographic west: Jaminjung N18, Naliwuru N19 and Nungali (N28), and in the geographic east the 'West Barkly' set consisting of Jingili C22 and the 'Eastern Group' of Ngarnga N121 and the McArthur language (aka 'Wambayan') (1998:4).
Bolt, Hoddinott and Kofod say that Nungali, a member of the Djamindjungan family, is 'a multiple classifying language within the prefixing group of Aboriginal languages', though Djamindjung N18 and Ngaliwuru N19 - other members of the family - are not classifying languages (1971:1). See also Yilngali N2.
... between Jaminjung and Ngaliwuru, extends east of Ngaliwurru country along both sides of the Victoria River, bordering on Wardaman country at Langgayi (Victoria River Crossing), Murranginy (One Mile), Myatt (Five Mile), Gilwi (Eleven Mile) and Fitzroy Station (Schultze-Berndt 2000).
The general associations were to the valley of the Victoria between Big Horse Creek and Clean Skin Yard. The following places were associated with Nungali: Timber Creek, Fitzroy homestead, Coolibah homestead, Victoria River Crossing (Harvey AILEC 0802). ... the area between the Fitzmaurice and Upper Daly Rivers. [Bold, Hoddinott & Kofod n.d.:1).
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Diwurruwurru-jaru Katherine Regional 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).
Bolt, Janet. 1971. An elementary grammar of the Nungali language of the Northern Territory, ms.
Hoddinott, William. Ngaliwuru and Nungali word lists, ms. Bolt, Janet. 1971. An elementary grammar of the Nungali language of the Northern Territory.
