| Marrgu | |
| Region: | Croker Island, Northern Territory |
| States: | Australia |
| Ethnicity: | Yaako |
| Ref: | aiatsis |
| Familycolor: | Australian |
| Fam1: | Marrku–Wurrugu? Iwaidjan? |
| Iso3: | mhg |
| Aiatsis: | N45 |
| Glotto: | marg1251 |
| Glottorefname: | Margu |
| Map: | Marrgu language.png |
| Mapcaption: | Marrgu language (purple arrow), among other non-Pama–Nyungan languages (grey) |
| Map2: | Marrgu language (closeup).png |
| Mapcaption2: | Closeup |
| Speakers: | 1 (2000); 2 partial understanders (2008) |
| Also Known As: | Yaako, Ajokoot, Croker Island, Raffles Bay, Terrutong, Terutong |
Marrgu (Marrku) is a recently extinct Aboriginal language of northern Australia. Additional names include Ajokoot, Croker Island, Raffles Bay, Terrutong (Terutong), Yaako (Jaako, Yako).
Marrgu had been assumed to be an Iwaidjan language like its neighbours. However, Evans (2006) has produced evidence that it was a language isolate, with possible connection to the extinct and poorly attested Wurrugu. This connection however is merely theoretical.
| Peripheral | Laminal | Apical | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilabial | Velar | Palatal | Dental | Alveolar | Retroflex | ||
| Plosive | p | k | c | t̪ | t | ʈ | |
| Nasal | m | ŋ | ɲ | n̪ | n | ɳ | |
| Approximant | w | ɣ | j | ɻ | |||
| Trill | r | ||||||
| Flap | ɽ | ||||||
| Lateral | (ʎ) | l | ɭ | ||||
| Lateral flap | ɺ | ||||||
Marrgu has the three-vowel (/a/, /i/, /u/) system typical of Iwaidjan languages (Evans 1998).
| Front | Back | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| High | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | |
| Low | pronounced as /ink/ | ||