Worimi languages explained

Worimi
Also Known As:	Hunter–Hastings
Familycolor:	Australian
Glotto:	hunt1235
Glottorefname:	Hunter–Hastings

Worimi is a small family of two to five mostly extinct Australian Aboriginal languages of New South Wales.

• Awabakal, spoken around Lake Macquarie in New South Wales. Awabakal was studied by Reverend Lancelot Threlkeld from 1825 until his death in 1859, assisted by Biraban, the tribal leader, and parts of the Bible were translated into the language. For example, the Gospel of Mark begins: "Kurrikuri ta unni Evanelia Jesu úmba Krist koba, Yenal ta noa Eloi úmba."^[1] The language is currently in early stages of revival.
• Gadjang (Worimi), previously extinct,^[2] in the early stages of revitalisation,^[3] spoken by the Worimi people, from the eastern Port Stephens and Great Lakes regions of coastal New South Wales.

The languages are close enough to be accepted as related in the conservative classification of Dixon.^[4] Bowern (2011) considers Gadjang, Worimi, and Birrpayi to be separate languages.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Awaba electronic database: Language . 26 January 2010.
2. Book: Moseley, Christopher . Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages . Routledge . 2007 . 070071197X.
3. News: Revitalising the Aboriginal language Gathang is about learning and speaking it together every day. Sati. Wiriya. 2 April 2019. ABC news. 12 September 2019.
4. Book: Dixon, R. M. W. . Robert M. W. Dixon

   . Robert M. W. Dixon . 2002 . Australian Languages: Their Nature and Development . Cambridge University Press.