Djabugay (or ''Djabuganjdji''; see below for other names) is an endangered

Australian Aboriginal language The Indigenous languages of Australia number in the hundreds, the precise number being quite uncertain, although there is a range of estimates from a minimum of around 250 (using the technical definition of 'language' as non-mutually intellig ...

spoken by the

Djabugay people The Djabugay people (also known as Djabuganydji or Tjapukai) are a group of Australian Aboriginal people who are the original inhabitants of mountains, gorges, lands and waters of a richly forested part of the Great Dividing Range including t ...

with 46 native speakers at the 2016 census. The Djabugay language region includes

Far North Queensland Far North Queensland (FNQ) is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. Its largest city is Cairns and it is dominated geographically by Cape York Peninsula, which stretches north to the Torres Strait, and west to the Gulf C ...

, particularly around the Kuranda Range and Barron River catchment, and the landscape within the local government boundaries of the

Cairns Regional Council The Cairns Region is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Queensland, Australia, centred on the regional city of Cairns. It was established in 2008 by the amalgamation of the City of Cairns and the Shires of Douglas and Mulgrave. ...

Classification

Though sometimes placed in a separate Yidinyic branch of Pama–Nyungan, Bowern (2011) retains Djabugay in its traditional place within the

Paman languages The Paman languages are an Australian language family spoken on Cape York Peninsula, Queensland. First noted by Kenneth Hale, Paman is noteworthy for the profound phonological changes which have affected some of its descendants. Classifica ...

.Bowern, Claire. 2011.
How Many Languages Were Spoken in Australia?
, ''Anggarrgoon: Australian languages on the web'', December 23, 2011
corrected
February 6, 2012)

Dialects

The following languages are confirmed dialects of Djabugay by the

AUSTLANG The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), established as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) in 1964, is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is a collecting, ...

database maintained by

Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), established as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) in 1964, is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is a collecting, ...

. Djabugay is used both as a language name and a dialect name. Additional names for these languages and/or dialects have been listed after their names but terms do overlap and the lists are not exhaustive. * Y106: Djabugay / Tjapukai – Barron River dialect, Binggu, Bulum-Bulum, Buluwai, Check-Cull, Chewlie, Dja:bugay, Djabugai, Djabuganjdji, Djabungandji, Dyaabugay, Dyabugandyi, Dyabugay, Hileman, Irukandjai, Kikonjunkulu, Kodgotto, Koko-Tjumbundji, Koko njunkulu, Koko nyungalo, Koko Tjumbundji, Kokonjunkulu, Kokonyungalo, Ngarlkadjie, Njakali, Nyakali, Orlow, Tapelcay, Tcabogai tjanji, Tja:pukanja, Tjabakai-Thandji, Tjabogai tjandji, Tjabogai tjanji, Tjabogaijanji, Tjabogaitjandji, Tjankir, Tjankun, Tjapukandji, Tjapukanja, Tjapunkandji, Tjunbundji, Toabogai tjani, Tuffelcey * Y110: Bulway – Buluwan dyi, Buluwandji, Buluwandyi, Bulwandji, Bulwandyi * Y111: Yirrgay – Chumchum, Dingal, Djabungandji, Dungara, Dungarah, Illagona, Irakanji, Irukandji, Tingaree, Tingeree, Umbay, Walpoll, Wongulli, Yerkanji, Yettkie, Yirgandji, Yirgay, Yirkandji, Yirkanji * Y160: Guluy – Dyaabugay * Y162: Nyagali – Njagali

Phonology

Consonants

Patz, Elisabeth. “Djabugay.” In ''Handbook of Australian Languages Vol. 4'', edited by R. M. W. Dixon and Barry J. Blake, 4:245–347. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1991.

Vowels

Vocabulary

Some words from the Djabugay language, as spelt and written by Djabugay authors include:Duffin, Rhonda & Brim, Rosetta (1993?) ''Ngapi Garrang Bulurru-m: All Things Come from Bulurru''.

Kuranda, Queensland Kuranda is a rural town and locality on the Atherton Tableland in the Shire of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia. In the , Kuranda had a population of 3,008 people. It is from Cairns, via the Kuranda Range road. It is surrounded by tropical rainfo ...

. . * ''Bulurru'': elsewhere known as Dreaming, the source of life. * ''Gurrabana'': where people and everything in Djabugay society and life is divided between wet and dry, this is the wet season side. * ''Gurraminya'': where people and everything in Djabugay society and life is divided between wet and dry, this is the dry season side. * ''Djirri-nyurra'': hello * ''Guyu'': fish * ''Gan gula'': kangaroo * ''Bulmba'': home * ''Bana'': rain * ''Wuru'': river * ''Bungan'': sun

Classification

Dialects

Phonology

Consonants

Vowels

Vocabulary

See also

References

Further reading