Lower Burdekin languages

Lower Burdekin
(geographic)
Native to	Australia
Region	Queensland
Ethnicity	Juru, Bindal?
Extinct	ca. 1900
Language family	Pama–Nyungan unclassified (Nyawaygic? Dyirbalic?) Lower Burdekin
Dialects	Cunningham vocabulary Gorton vocabulary O'Connor vocabulary (Yuru)
Language codes
ISO 639-3	xbb – inclusive code Individual code: ljx  – Yuru
Linguist List	xbb
Glottolog	bind1234   Cunningham list bind1235   Gorton list bind1236   Mount Elliot (O'Connor) list yuru1264   Yuru
AIATSIS [1]	E62  Yuru
Lower Burdekin languages (green) among other Pama–Nyungan (tan)

The Burdekin River in 2005

The Lower Burdekin languages were probably three distinct Australian Aboriginal languages 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. 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.

The O'Connor language goes by the name Yuru , and may have been Dyirbalic; ^[2] others may have been Maric. However, Breen analysed two of the lists and concluded that they were different languages, neither Maric. ^[2] He presumes that one of them was Bindal. ^[3]

Wordlist

English gloss	Cunningham vocabulary	Gorton vocabulary	O'Connor vocabulary (Yuru)
Kangaroo	hoora	wootha	arragoo
Opossum	moonganna	goong	onehunger
Tame dog	oogier	minde	oodoodoo
Emu	kowwerra	goondaloo	karboonmillery
Black duck	yammooroo	buggininulli	hoorooburry
Wood duck	mumboogooba	detto	culburh
Pelican	boloona	booloon	dooroomully
Laughing jackass	kowurgurra	kookaburra	karcoobura
Native companion	braroogan	buberenulli	kooroogowgun
White cockatoo	digooi	bugina	bunginna
Crow	wyaguna	wethergun	wombugah
Swan	woergerella
Egg	wyoorda	werroo	gunnoo
Track of a foot	dooigooburra		yulmun
Fish	weenburra	kooia	weambura
Lobster	koongooya	goonaway	boogurrie
Crayfish	goombarroo		inundah
Mosquito	kowearoo	dee	hoonhoono
Fly	karoovella		nin
Snake	oongullab	wormbaloo	boongi (carpet)
The Blacks	murre		dulgooh
A Blackfellow			dulgooh
A Black woman	wurrungooa	gungan	tudgegun
2 Blacks			blarin dulgooh
3 Blacks			wungoo dulgooh
Nose	urrooa	woodroo	wuneary
Hand	mobirra	mulbroo	wurrumby
One	warmina		warrin
Two	blareena	bool	blarin
Three	kudjua	ka	wungoo
Four	kulburra		murragi
Father	kiya	yaba, yabo	abah
Mother	younga	yanga	yunguma
Elder sister	kootha		kooda
Elder brother	wabooa		kudun
A young man	karrebella	thillagal	deebahgul
An old man	booingermunna	bunganan	nuganugamun
An old woman	boingergunna	bulnagun	bundeyun
A baby	mullererammoo		cowla
A White man	yooarroo		yuarroo
Children	erroomunna		moolaramoo
Head	kurria	kabbon	karboyan
Eye	mudjura	deburri	deebara
Ear	awbilla	wobbilla	kungun
Mouth	da	yawirra	unga
Teeth	irra	woonung	dingull
Hair of the head	gunnarri		targuinn
Beard	thungier	thungi	talba
Thunder	degoroo	digoro	burrahroo
Grass	wudthoor	quwytho	narahminie
Tongue	thullamia		dulling
Stomach	bunboona	borlo	boonda
Breasts	woorga	wuggunna	dulnbinn
Thigh	toomburra	thoombur	duburrin
Foot	dingooburra	bulliger	dingooburra
Bone	bulbanna		mimmoon
Blood	gwiburri	moondtha	queeberry
Skin	yoolanna	uline	mindeer
Fat	towie	koonoo, goomo	boongaroo
Bowels	gurroona	kullinga	yaboo
Excrement	goonna	goonna	guno
War-spear	nirremoo	woomburro	woolunbura
Reed-spear	wollaburra		(none used)
Wommera or throwing-stick	birrana		buddurrie
Shield	goolmurri	gooldinare	poodda poodda
Tomahawk	bulgooa	nubanin	oolun
Canoe	kobbetheba	bettel-bettel	karbeyal
Sun	burgorri	kartri	mulloun
Moon	bowarri		waboonburra
Star	bunjoldi	tor, bangala	dirilger
Light	burgungubba		baragunna
Dark	wooroowobba	moonoo	wulhurrie
Cold	didoora	detto	orbehgun
Heat	towarroo		moondo moondo
Day	woorabunda		unbur
Night	wooroonga	woormooga
Fire	wygunna	booninin	neebull
Water	kowara	thoolanoo	dunjun
Smoke	toogar		doongin
Ground	nannier	numera	dingur
Wind	quioona	queeyon	uinne
Rain	yoogana	broothi	marroo
Wood	doola	dulla	moora
Stone	burreea	burtheroo	bungil
Camp	yaamba	yamba	midera
Yes	yea	umba	yu yow
No	kurra	kateka	karbil
I	iyooa		uda
You	yindooa		ninda
Bark	bulgan	boogoo	bulgun
Good			boongoon
Bad	kooyooa		diga
Sweet	kowangubba		goondi
Food	igango		dungee, ogoo
Hungry	nagnoora	kabbil	garoo
Thirsty	dthunginna		armboo yulburana
Eat	igango		dulgee ogoo
Sleep	boogoora	boogooroo	boog oggba
Drink	bithungo	bitthana	kudge ogoo
Walk	kunnaigo		warin
See	timmi	thimmi	na
Sit	thunnango	thunara	duri
Yesterday	yambowerroe		dirrierih
To-day	nilla	nilla	cudgin
To-morrow	burgenda	burringa	burrigunda
Where are the Blacks?	ondia murre?		ulba dalgul?
I don't know	kurra mira		carbilbrather
Plenty	qniarilla [sic]		murrgi
Big		wiarra	yunga
Little	wa-baw-au-boona	wabungam	arbooro
Dead	waulgoona	wolgoon	walgoon
By-and-by	thagoo		boodinhi
Come on	kowa		kooa

References

1. E62 Yuru at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
2. "E62: Yuru". Australian Indigenous Languages Database. Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
3. "E61: Bindal". Australian Indigenous Languages Database. Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2020.

• 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 That Continent. Melbourne: Government Printer.
• Dixon, R. M. W. (2002). Australian Languages: Their Nature and Development. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-47378-1.