Dyirbal language

Dyirbal ( ; also Djirubal) is an Australian Aboriginal language and dialect spoken in northeast Queensland tradtionally spoken by the group of people known as the Dyirbal peoples (a term which also refers to one of the subgroups; the Dyirbal). Each subgroup had a dialect. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics there were eight speakers of the language in 2016 and 24 speakers in 2021. It is a member of the small Dyirbalic branch of the Pama–Nyungan family. It possesses many outstanding features that have made it well known among linguists.

In the years since the Dyirbal grammar by Robert Dixon was published in 1972, Dyirbal has steadily moved closer to extinction as younger community members have failed to learn it.