Bunuban languages
Encyclopedia
The Bunuban languages are a small family
of Australian Aboriginal languages
spoken in northern Australia. The family consists of two languages, Bunuba
and Gooniyandi
, which are related to each other to about the same degree that English is related to Dutch. Both have about 100 speakers, and are endangered.
Language family
A language family is a group of languages related through descent from a common ancestor, called the proto-language of that family. The term 'family' comes from the tree model of language origination in historical linguistics, which makes use of a metaphor comparing languages to people in a...
of Australian Aboriginal languages
Australian Aboriginal languages
The Australian Aboriginal languages comprise several language families and isolates native to the Australian Aborigines of Australia and a few nearby islands, but by convention excluding the languages of Tasmania and the Torres Strait Islanders...
spoken in northern Australia. The family consists of two languages, Bunuba
Bunuba language
Bunuba is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by some 160 older adults, most of whom live in or near Fitzroy Crossing in Western Australia....
and Gooniyandi
Gooniyandi language
Gooniyandi is an Australian Aboriginal language now spoken by about 100 people, most of whom live in or near Fitzroy Crossing in Western Australia. Gooniyandi is an endangered language as it is not being passed on to children, who instead grow up speaking Kriol....
, which are related to each other to about the same degree that English is related to Dutch. Both have about 100 speakers, and are endangered.