Turrbal is an

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

language of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. It is the language of the

Turrbal The Turrbal are an Aboriginal Australian people from the region of present-day Brisbane, Queensland. The name primarily referred to the dialect they spoke, the tribe itself being alternatively called ''Mianjin/Meanjin''. Mianjin was the Turrbal ...

people, who are the

traditional owners Native title is the designation given to the common law doctrine of Aboriginal title in Australia, which is the recognition by Australian law that Indigenous Australians (both Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander people) have rights ...

and custodians of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

. The Turrbal Association uses the Turrbal spelling and prefer this over other spellings of Turrbal such as Turubul, Turrubal, Turrabul, Toorbal, and Tarabul. The four dialects listed in Dixon (2002) are sometimes seen as separate

Durubalic languages Durubalic is a small family of extinct Australian Aboriginal languages of Queensland. Bowern (2011) lists five Durubalic languages: * Turrubal (Turubul) and Yagara (Jagara) * Jandai (Janday) *Nunukul (Nunungal, Moonjan) * Gowar (Guwar) Dixon ...

, especially Jandai and

Nunukul The Nunukul, also spelt Noonuccal and known also as Moondjan are an Aboriginal Australian people, one of three Quandamooka peoples, who traditionally lived on Minjerribah, in Moreton Bay Area and in mainland Brisbane regions. Language The Nunu ...

; Yagara, Yugarabul, and Turrbul proper are more likely to be considered dialects.

Influence on other languages

The

Australian English Australian English (AusE, AusEng, AuE, AuEng, en-AU) is the set of varieties of the English language native to Australia. It is the country's common language and ''de facto'' national language; while Australia has no official language, Engli ...

word ''yakka'', an informal term referring to any work, especially of strenuous kind, comes from the Yagara word ''yaga'', the verb for 'work'. The literary journal ''

Meanjin ''Meanjin'' (), formerly ''Meanjin Papers'' and ''Meanjin Quarterly'', is an Australian literary magazine. The name is derived from the Turrbal word for the spike of land where the city of Brisbane is located. It was founded in 1940 in Brisbane ...

'' takes its name from ''meanjin'', a Turrbal word meaning 'spike', referring to the spike of land

was later built on.

Vocabulary

Some words from the Turrbal / Yagara language, as spelt and written by Turrbal / Yagara authors include: * ''Bigi'': sun * ''Binung'': ear * ''Bugwal'': wallaby * ''Buneen'': echidna * ''Bangil'' / ''bungil'': grass * ''Buhn'': knee * ''Buyu'': shin * ''Deear'' : teeth * ''Dhagun'': land * ''Dhambur'' : mouth * ''Dharang'': leg * ''Dhiggeri'': belly / stomach * ''Dinna'': foot * ''Dyrrbin'': bone * ''Gahm'': head * ''Giga'': shoulder * ''Gurumba bigi'': good day * ''Gujah'' / ''guttah'': snake * ''Gagarr'' / ''guyurr'': fish * ''Juhrram'': rain * ''Juwahduwan'' / ''juwahnduwan'' / ''juwanbinl'': bird(s) * ''Killen'': finger * ''Kundul'': canoe * ''Marra'': hand * ''Dumbirrbi'' / ''marrambi'': koala * ''Mil'': eye / eyes * ''Guruman'' / ''murri'': kangaroo * ''Muru'': nose * ''Nammul'': children * ''Nggurrun'': neck * ''Ngumbi'': home / camp * ''Tahbil'': water (fresh) * ''Towan'': fish * ''Tullei'': tree * ''Waiyebba'': arm * ''Wunya'': welcome / greetings * ''Yilam'': forehead

Influence on other languages

Vocabulary

References

Further reading