Jabirr Jabirr language explained

Dyaberdyaber
Nativename:Dyaberdyaber
Extinct:1980s
Ref:aiatsis
Familycolor:Australian
Iso3:dyb
Glotto:dyab1238
Glottorefname:Dyaberdyaber
Aiatsis:K8

The Jabirr Jabirr language, also known as Djabirr-Djabirr, is a Western Nyulnyulan language formerly spoken by the Jabirr Jabirr people on the coast south of Beagle Bay in Western Australia. Earlier sources spelled the name DjaberrDjaberr or Dyaberdyaber; the contemporary accepted spelling is Jabirr-Jabirr, which reflects the spelling conventions of languages of the Kimberley region.[1] It is also sometimes spelt Jabba Jabba.[2]

The language is closely related to Nyulnyul and probably close enough to be mutually intelligible.[3] The source materials from Nekes and Worms' (1953) "Australian Languages" list numerous similarities.

Jabirr Jabirr is part of a language revival project. Jabirr Jabirr is one of 20 languages prioritised as part of the Priority Languages Support Project, being undertaken by First Languages Australia and funded by the Department of Communications and the Arts. The project aims to "identify and document critically-endangered languages — those languages for which little or no documentation exists, where no recordings have previously been made, but where there are living speakers".[4]

Notes and References

  1. Bowern, C. 2012 "A Grammar of Bardi". Berlin: Mouton
  2. Web site: Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Life. Education is the key to keeping Bardi language and culture strong. Vincent. McKenzie. 13 August 2019. 11 November 2019.
  3. McGregor, W and B Stokes. Classifying the Nyulnyulan languages. in N. Evans (ed) "The Non-Pama-Nyungan Languages of Northern Australia" Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, 2003
  4. Web site: First Languages Australia. Priority Languages Support Project. 13 January 2020. 13 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200113071114/https://www.firstlanguages.org.au/projects/plsp. dead.