Biri language

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Not to be confused with Nhanhagardi language, also known as Wiri.
Biri
Eastern Maric
Native toAustralia
RegionQueensland
EthnicityBiria
Extinct(date missing)
Revivalsome dialects
Dialects
  • Biri
  • Yambina
  • Yangga
  • Yilba
  • Giya (Bumbarra)
  • Yuwi (Yuipera)?
  • Mandalgu?
Language codes
ISO 639-3Variously:
bzr – Biri
gnl – Gangulu
xgi – Garingbal
Glottologeast2716
AIATSIS[1]E56 Biri, etc.
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Biri, also known as Biria, Birri Gubba, Birigaba, Perembba and other variants, is an Australian Aboriginal language in an area between Mackay and Townsville of Queensland spoken by the Birri Gubba people. A grammar of Biri proper was written before the language was silenced.[nb 1] As of January 2020 some of the dialects have been undergoing a revival for some years.[3]

At least eight languages had been previously regarded as dialects of Biri.[4] Recent research is finding that at least some of these languages, including Gangulu, Barada, Wirri and Garaynbal, have significant lexical, morphological and phonological differences to Biri, and as such should be considered distinct languages.[5] All are covered in this article.

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File:Tribes around Gladstone1.png
Traditional lands of Aboriginal people around Mackay, Rockhampton and Gladstone in Queensland

The following languages are regarded as closely related languages of Biri by the AUSTLANG database maintained by AIATSIS. Only one alternative name is given, for brevity; most have many more. Most, if not all, of these languages were silenced during the 19th and 20th centuries,[2] but many of them are now being reawakened by their respective communities.

  • E38: Garaynbal (Garingbal)[6]
  • E40: Gangulu (Kaangooloo)[7]
  • E48: Barada (Thar-ar-ra-burra)[8]
  • E51: Yambina (Jampal)[9]
  • E52: Yangga (Jangga)[10]
  • E54: Yuwi (Juipera)[11]
  • E55: Yilba (Yukkaburra)[12]
  • E57: Wiri (Widi)[13]
  • E58: Giya (Bumbarra)[14]
  • E59: Ngaro (Giya)[15]
  • E63: Yetimarala / Yetimarla[16]

Yuwi

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E54: Yuwi (Juipera, Toolginburra, Yuipera, Juwibara, Yuibera, Yuwiburra, Yuwibarra, Yuwibara): Yuwibara is treated as a dialect of Biri by Angela Terrill, based on George Bridgeman and Pierre-Marie Bucas' list in Curr (Vol.3, pp. 44–51), having over 80% in common with Biri. However Gavan Breen assigns it to Wiri (E57) – another dialect of Biri – on the basis of geography and other evidence. AIATSIS had not as of October 2020 assigned a status to it.[11]

Yuwi had no recorded speakers between 1975 and 2016 according to AUSTLANG,[11] but efforts are being made to revive the language. After a group of Yuwi descendants had worked hard to revive the language, by January 2020 elders were able to conduct "Welcome to Country" ceremonies in language. It was a long process, which included Elders consulting with the State Library of Queensland, working on building word lists and developing a dictionary. The organisation First Languages Australia (a language advocacy body established in 2013[17]) lends support.[18]

The language and people are usually referred to as Yuwibara today,[19][20] with a 2020 native title determination made in this name.[21]

Ngaro

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E59: Ngaro's status as a separate dialect is unconfirmed, with a Tindale wordlist being the only source. Breen assigns it to Wiri (E57).[15]

Gabulbarra

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Gabulbarra is name for a people of Central Queensland, but little is known about their language. The Gabulbarra People are closely connected with Barada People[22] and may have spoken a similar language to Barada.

Phonology

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Consonants

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Peripheral Laminal Apical
Bilabial Velar Palatal Dental Alveolar Retroflex
Stop b ɡ ɟ d̪ d
Nasal m ŋ ɲ n̪ n
Lateral l
Rhotic r ɻ
Semivowel w j

Vowels

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Vowels are noted as /a, i, u/.[23]

Peoples

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The following peoples spoke the dialects of Biri mentioned above:

Notes

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  1. ^ For an overview of the sociopolitical history of First Nations languages, see the Report of the Third National Indigenous Languages Survey (NILS3).[2]

References

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  1. ^ E56 Biri, etc. at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
  2. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  4. ^ Terrill, A. (1993). Biri. (Bachelor of Arts (Honours)). Australian National University, Canberra.
  5. ^ Tudor-Smith, G., & Watson, T. (2024). Reanalysing and Recategorising Central Maric Languages Using Cultural Knowledge. Paper presented at the Australian Languages Workshop, Canberra.
  6. ^ E38 Garaynbal at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
  7. ^ E40 Gangulu at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
  8. ^ E48 Baradha at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
  9. ^ E51 Yambina at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
  10. ^ E52 Yangga at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
  11. ^ a b c E54 Yuwi at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
  12. ^ E55 Yilba at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
  13. ^ E57 Wiri at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
  14. ^ E58 Giya at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
  15. ^ a b E59 Ngaro at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
  16. ^ E63 Yetimarala / Yetimarla at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
  17. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  18. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  19. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  20. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  21. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  22. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  23. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).

Further reading

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  • Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  • Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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