The Lower Burdekin languages are a geographical grouping of three distinct Aboriginal languages,[2] spoken around the mouth of the Burdekin River in north Queensland. One short wordlist in each was collected in the 19th century, and published in the second volume of The Australian Race in 1886.[3] These languages have since gone extinct, with no more having been recorded. Due to the paucity of the available data, almost nothing of their grammatical structure is known.
| Lower Burdekin | |
|---|---|
| Bindal ? | |
| (geographic) | |
| Native to | Australia |
| Region | Queensland |
| Ethnicity | Bindal? |
| Extinct | ca. 1900 |
Pama–Nyungan
| |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | xbb |
xbb | |
| Glottolog | bind1234 Cunningham listbind1235 Gorton listbind1236 Mount Elliot list |
| AIATSIS[1] | E61 Bindal |
 Lower Burdekin languages (green) among other Pama–Nyungan (tan) | |
The three languages[1] may have been Maric. However, Breen analysed two of the lists and concluded that they were different languages, neither Maric.[1] He presumes that one of them was Bindal.[4]
Wordlist
edit| English gloss | Cunningham vocabulary | Gorton vocabulary |
|---|---|---|
| Kangaroo | hoora | wootha |
| Opossum | moonganna | goong |
| Tame dog | oogier | minde |
| Emu | kowwerra | goondaloo |
| Black duck | yammooroo | buggininulli |
| Wood duck | mumboogooba | detto |
| Pelican | boloona | booloon |
| Laughing jackass | kowurgurra | kookaburra |
| Native companion | braroogan | buberenulli |
| White cockatoo | digooi | bugina |
| Crow | wyaguna | wethergun |
| Swan | woergerella | |
| Egg | wyoorda | werroo |
| Track of a foot | dooigooburra | |
| Fish | weenburra | kooia |
| Lobster | koongooya | goonaway |
| Crayfish | goombarroo | |
| Mosquito | kowearoo | dee |
| Fly | karoovella | |
| Snake | oongullab | wormbaloo |
| The Blacks | murre | |
| A Blackfellow | ||
| A Black woman | wurrungooa | gungan |
| 2 Blacks | ||
| 3 Blacks | ||
| Nose | urrooa | woodroo |
| Hand | mobirra | mulbroo |
| One | warmina | |
| Two | blareena | bool |
| Three | kudjua | ka |
| Four | kulburra | |
| Father | kiya | yaba, yabo |
| Mother | younga | yanga |
| Elder sister | kootha | |
| Elder brother | wabooa | |
| A young man | karrebella | thillagal |
| An old man | booingermunna | bunganan |
| An old woman | boingergunna | bulnagun |
| A baby | mullererammoo | |
| A White man | yooarroo | |
| Children | erroomunna | |
| Head | kurria | kabbon |
| Eye | mudjura | deburri |
| Ear | awbilla | wobbilla |
| Mouth | da | yawirra |
| Teeth | irra | woonung |
| Hair of the head | gunnarri | |
| Beard | thungier | thungi |
| Thunder | degoroo | digoro |
| Grass | wudthoor | quwytho |
| Tongue | thullamia | |
| Stomach | bunboona | borlo |
| Breasts | woorga | wuggunna |
| Thigh | toomburra | thoombur |
| Foot | dingooburra | bulliger |
| Bone | bulbanna | |
| Blood | gwiburri | moondtha |
| Skin | yoolanna | uline |
| Fat | towie | koonoo, goomo |
| Bowels | gurroona | kullinga |
| Excrement | goonna | goonna |
| War-spear | nirremoo | woomburro |
| Reed-spear | wollaburra | |
| Wommera or throwing-stick | birrana | |
| Shield | goolmurri | gooldinare |
| Tomahawk | bulgooa | nubanin |
| Canoe | kobbetheba | bettel-bettel |
| Sun | burgorri | kartri |
| Moon | bowarri | |
| Star | bunjoldi | tor, bangala |
| Light | burgungubba | |
| Dark | wooroowobba | moonoo |
| Cold | didoora | detto |
| Heat | towarroo | |
| Day | woorabunda | |
| Night | wooroonga | woormooga |
| Fire | wygunna | booninin |
| Water | kowara | thoolanoo |
| Smoke | toogar | |
| Ground | nannier | numera |
| Wind | quioona | queeyon |
| Rain | yoogana | broothi |
| Wood | doola | dulla |
| Stone | burreea | burtheroo |
| Camp | yaamba | yamba |
| Yes | yea | umba |
| No | kurra | kateka |
| I | iyooa | |
| You | yindooa | |
| Bark | bulgan | boogoo |
| Good | ||
| Bad | kooyooa | |
| Sweet | kowangubba | |
| Food | igango | |
| Hungry | nagnoora | kabbil |
| Thirsty | dthunginna | |
| Eat | igango | |
| Sleep | boogoora | boogooroo |
| Drink | bithungo | bitthana |
| Walk | kunnaigo | |
| See | timmi | thimmi |
| Sit | thunnango | thunara |
| Yesterday | yambowerroe | |
| To-day | nilla | nilla |
| To-morrow | burgenda | burringa |
| Where are the Blacks? | ondia murre? | |
| I don't know | kurra mira | |
| Plenty | qniarilla [sic] | |
| Big | wiarra | |
| Little | wa-baw-au-boona | wabungam |
| Dead | waulgoona | wolgoon |
| By-and-by | thagoo | |
| Come on | kowa |
References
edit- 1 2 3 E61 Bindal at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
- ↑ "2009-014 | ISO 639-3". iso639-3.sil.org. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ↑ Curr, Edward Micklethwaite (1886). The Australian race: its origin, languages, customs, place of landing in Australia and the routes by which it spread itself over the continent. Vol. 2. Melbourne: Government Printer.
- ↑ "E61: Bindal". Australian Indigenous Languages Database. Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- Dixon, R. M. W. (2002). Australian Languages: Their Nature and Development. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-47378-1.