N82: Burarra

AIATSIS code: 
N82
AIATSIS reference name: 
Burarra

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Name
Thesaurus heading language
Burarra language N82
Thesaurus heading people
Burarra people N82
ABN name
Burarra language
ABS name
Burarra
Horton name
Burarra
Ethnologue name
Burarra
ISO 639-3 code
bvr
Tindale name
Barara
Tindale (1974)
Barera, Baurera, Burera (pronunciation of easterners), Burara, Barea (typographical error), Burada (a form heard by N. Peterson), Burarra, Gidjingali (general term applied especially to eastern members speaking Barara).
O'Grady et al (1966)
Burera, Bawera, Jikai, Tchikai
Glottocode
bura1267
Other sources
Burarra, Burera, Burada, Gidjingali, Anbara [Top End Handbook]
Synonyms
Gu-jingaliya, Gujingaliya, Anbarra, Gadjalivia, Gidjingali, Bara, Barada, Barara, Barea, Barera, Baurera, Bawera, Birarra, Burada, Burara, Burera, Gidjingale, Gudjalayia, Gurmadja madja, Jikai, Ku jarlapiyi, Tchikai, Tha ra ra burra, Thar ar ra burra, Toolginburra, Anbara, Burrara
Comment
Comments: 

Burarra (N82) is the language of the Burarra and Gun-nartpa N81 people from the Blyth and Cadell River regions and Maningrida in North-Central Arnhem land. The Burarra language consists of three dialects: An-barra people speak Gun-narta N191; Martay people speak Gun-narda N190 and Mu-golarra people (also called Mukarli) speak Gun-nartpa N81 (Glasgow and Glasgow, 2011).

Gun-narta N191 and Gun-narda call their dialects Gu-jingarliya (Glasgow, 1994:7). Glasgow describes Gurrgoni or Gun-gurrgoni (N75) as a dialect of the Burarra N82 language family (1994:7).

An-barra and Martey peoples refer to their dialects (Gun-narta N191 and Gun-narda N190) as Gu-jingarliya and Mu-golarra aka Mukarli people refer to theirs (Gun-nartpa N81) as Gu-jarlabiya. An-barra and Martay people were called Burarra by their eastern neighbours; all three dialect groups share close cultural and social interaction (Glasgow, 1994:7).

Based on a comparison of verb tense/status suffixes, Green classifies Burarra N82, Gurr-goni N75, Ndjebbana N74 and Nakkara N80 as a 'Maningrida subgroup' of the larger Gunwinjguan language family, a refinement of the earlier classification of Gurr-goni as a member of the 'Bureran' family (Capell, Voegelin and Voegelin in Green, 1995:4-5).

Oates (1975:18) equates Burera (N82) with Burarra N135, and she subsumes Bureda N135 under Burera (N82).

 

 

References: 
  • Glasgow, Kathleen and David Glasgow, 2011. Burarra-English Interactive Dictionary.
  • <http://ausil org/Dictionary/Burarra/lexicon/mainintro.htm>
  • Glasgow, Kathleen. 1994. Burarra-Gun-nartpa dictionary with English finder list. Darwin: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
  • Green, Rebecca. 1995. A grammar of Gurr-goni (north central Arnhem Land). Australian National University, PhD thesis.https://digitalcollections.anu.edu.au/handle/1885/9278?mode=full
  • Green, Rebecca. 1987. A sketch grammar of Burarra, Australian National University: BA (Hons). (MS 3615).
  • Harvey, Mark. 2008. Non-Pama-Nyungan Languages: land-language associations at colonisation. AILEC 0802.
  • Oates, Lynette F. 1975. The 1973 supplement to a revised linguistic survey of Australia. Armidale: Armidale Christian Book Centre.
Status: 
Confirmed
Location
State / Territory: 
NT
Location information: 

Blyth River region (Glasgow 1994 Burarra-Gun-nartpa dictionary).

Burarra people's country is in Central Arnhem Land, along the Blyth and Cadell Rivers and the coastal and inland areas around between them.

Many people now live to the west of this, at Maningrida, a settlement on the mouth of the Liverpool River (Green 1987:1).

The general associations were to the coast from east Anamayirra Creek to Cape Stewart and inland at least to the junction of the Cadell and the Blyth (Harvey AILEC 0802).

 

Maps: 
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PDF icon Oates_N82.pdf
Tindale 1974
OLAC
SIL
Australian Society for Indigenous Languages
Living Archive of Aboriginal Languages
Awaye! Word Up: Ursula Yovich
Programs
Activities: 
-
People: 
David Glasgow, Kathy Glasgow, Rebecca Green
Indigenous organisations: 

Batchelor Institute https://www.batchelor.edu.au/

Maningrida Literature Production Centre

East Arnhem Regional Council - https://www.eastarnhem.nt.gov.au/

Speakers
Year Source Speaker numbers
1975Oates-
1984Senate400 - 600
1990Schmidt400 - 600
1996Census702
2001Census780
2004NILS1-
2005Estimate800
2006Census1074
2011Census932
2014NILS2
2016Census995
2018-2019NILS3

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 Large (more than 200 pages) 4
Text Collection Large (more than 200 pages) 4
Grammar Sketch grammar (less than 100 pages) 2
Audio-visual More than 10 3
Manuscript note: 
tape transcription/field note available
Grammar: 

Green, Rebecca. 1987. A sketch grammar of Burarra, Australian National University: BA (Hons).

Dictionary: 

Glasgow, Kathy. 1994. Burarra-Gun-nartpa dictionary: with English finder list. Darwin:SIL.

Classification
Source Family Group Sub-group Name Relationship
Ethnologue (2005) Gunwingguan Burarran   Burarra Burarra [dialects: Gunardba (Gun-nartpa) is a related language which may be extinct, or may be an alternate name.]
Dixon (2002)   ARNHEM LAND GROUP Maningrida subgroup* Burarra Burarra R. Green (1987) dialects: Gun-narda, Gun-narta (collectively also known as Gidjingali(ya) or Anbarra), Gun-nartpa. (also known as Gudjarlabiya)
Wurm (1994) Burarran Burarric   Burarra  
Walsh (1981) Burarran Burarric   Burarra  
Oates (1975) Bureran Bureric   Burada  
Wurm (1972) Bureran Bureric   Burera  
O'Grady, Voegelin and Voegelin (1966) Bureran Bureric   Barera