Language Atlas

How Languages Connect
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme

Switch Atlas

Language Family

Yidinyic languages

Australian Language Families

The Yidinyic languages are a pair of languages, Djabugay and Yidiny, previously classified within the Paman languages, that have been proposed to form a separate branch of the Pama-Nyungan family of Australia. Not every classification agrees: Bowern's 2011 classification separates out only Yidiny itself, leaving Djabugay within Paman.

Facts
Region
Far North Queensland, Australia: the Djabugay-speaking area around the Barron River near Cairns, and the Yidiny-speaking area to the south around Gordonvale, the Mulgrave River and the southern Atherton Tableland. 2
Speaker Count
133 3
Approximate combined total for the two constituent languages, both from the 2021 Australian census: Djabugay 81 native speakers (per the family article, itself citing the Australian Bureau of Statistics) and Yidiny 52 native speakers (per the Yidiny language article infobox, same census). Not a single published family-wide total.
Proto-Language Status
No named proto-language has been reconstructed for this two-member grouping. Whether it forms a genuine branch at all is itself disputed: Bowern (2011) separates out only Yidiny as a distinct branch of Pama-Nyungan, leaving Djabugay classified within the wider Paman languages rather than joining it in a Yidinyic unit. 2
Browse and compare
Classification Confidence
Established 1
Compare
Number of Languages
2 1
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Australia

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources
1. Glottolog: Yidinic (languoid record)
Glottolog
  • Languoid record: child_language_count
    "child_language_count": 2
  • Languoid record: level and category
    "level": "family", "bookkeeping": false, "category": "Family"
View the Source
2. Wikipedia: Yidinyic Languages
Wikimedia FoundationWikipedia article, Djabugay section
Quote, Wikipedia article, Djabugay section
The Djabugay language is spoken primarily by five major ethnic groups populated around the Barron River: the Djabuganydji, Bulwanydji, Nyagali, Yirrganydji, and Gulunydji.
View the Source
3. Wikipedia: Yidiny Language
Wikimedia FoundationInfobox: date
Quote, Infobox: date
2021 census
View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.