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
RegionFar 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. 1 Speaker CountApproximate 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 StatusNo 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. 1 Sources
1. Wikipedia: Yidinyic Languages
Wikimedia FoundationWikipedia article, Djabugay sectionQuote, 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 2. Wikipedia: Yidiny Language
Wikimedia FoundationWikipedia infobox, speakers field, Yidiny language articleQuote, Wikipedia infobox, speakers field, Yidiny language article
| speakers = 52
| date = 2021 census
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