Language Atlas

How Languages Connect
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Language Family

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.

Facts
Compare
Number of Languages
4 1
Browse and compare
Classification Confidence
Established 1
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources
1. Glottolog: Waka-Kabic (languoid record)
Glottolog
  • Languoid record: child_language_count
    "child_language_count": 4
  • Languoid record: level and category
    "level": "family", "bookkeeping": false, "category": "Family"
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.