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Waka-Kabic languages

Australian Language Families

The Waka-Kabic languages, also written Waka-Gabi, are a nearly extinct family of Pama-Nyungan languages historically spoken across a wide area of southeastern Queensland, Australia, generally placed within the North Coast branch of Southeast Pama-Nyungan. The family divides into two groups: Than, comprising Taribelang, Gubbi Gubbi and Tulua, and Miyan, comprising Wulli Wulli, Wakka Wakka and Barunggam. Most languages in the family are now extinct, though Batjala, possibly best understood as a dialect of Gubbi Gubbi, retained around 89 people reporting some knowledge of it as of the 2021 census, and Taribelang retains a number of second-language speakers through community revival efforts. The classification of a further pair of languages, Darumbal and Bayali, sometimes grouped as Kingkel, is disputed, with some linguists placing Darumbal instead within the neighboring Maric languages.

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