Bindal language explained

Bindal
States:	Australia
Region:	Queensland
Ethnicity:	Bindal people
Familycolor:	Australian
Fam1:	Pama–Nyungan
Fam2:	(unclassified, possibly Maric or Lower Burdekin)
Iso3:	xbd
Glotto:	bind1237
Glottorefname:	Bindalic
Glottoname:	see Lower Burdekin languages
Aiatsis:	E61
Also Known As:	Bendalgubba, Nyawaygi
Era:	attested 1865

Bindal (Bendalgubba, Nyawaygi) is an extinct Australian Aboriginal language of North Queensland. The Bindal language region included the area from Cape Cleveland extending south towards Ayr and the mouth of the Burdekin River, encompassing the landscape within the boundaries of the Townsville City Council and Burdekin Shire Council.

Classification

Bowern^[1] suggests that it might have been a Maric language. Breen presumes that one of two Lower Burdekin languages, which he concluded were not Maric, is Bindal.

Vocabulary

Some words from the Bindal language, as spelt and written by Bindal authors include:

• Adha: yes
• Andha: saltwater
• Bagaraga: star
• Barri: stone
• Bugan: grass
• Gadhara: possum
• Gamu: water
• Gunbana: blood

See also

• Bindal people

External links

• Bibliography of Bindal people and language resources, at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies

Notes and References

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