Turrbal language

Turrbal is an Aboriginal Australian language of Queensland. It is the language of the Turrbal people, who are often recognised as one of the traditional owners and custodians of Brisbane.[2][3]

Turrbal
Yagara
RegionQueensland
EthnicityTurrbal
ExtinctNo
Dialects
Language codes
ISO 639-3yxg
Glottologyaga1256  Yagara-Jandai
AIATSIS[1]E86 Turubul, E23 Jagara
ELPYagara

The Turrbal Association uses the Turrbal spelling and prefer this over other spellings of Turrbal such as Turubul, Turrubal, Turrabul, Toorbal, and Tarabul.[2]

The four dialects listed in Dixon (2002)[4] are sometimes seen as separate Durubalic languages, especially Jandai and Nunukul; Yagara, Yugarabul, and Turrbul proper are more likely to be considered dialects.[1][5][6]

Classification

Turrbal (E86) has been variously classified as a language, group of languages or as a dialect of another language.[1]

F. J. Watson classifies Turrbal (E86) as a sub group of Yugarabul E66 , which is most likely the language Yagara E23.[7]

Norman Tindale uses the term Turrbal (E86) to refers to speakers of the language of Yagara E23.[8]

John Steele classifies Turrbal (E86) as a language within the Yagara language group.[9]

R. M. W. Dixon classifies Turrbal as a dialect of the language of Yagera, in the technical linguistic sense where mutually intelligible dialects are deemed to belong to a single language.[10]

Influence on other languages

The Australian English word yakka, an informal term referring to any work, especially of strenuous kind, comes from the Yagara word yaga, the verb for 'work'.[11][12]

The literary journal Meanjin takes its name from meanjin, a Turrbal word meaning 'spike', referring to the spike of land Brisbane was later built on.[13]

Vocabulary

Some words from the Turrbal / Yagara language, as spelt and written by Turrbal / Yagara authors include:[14][15][16][17]

  • Bigi: sun
  • Binung: ear
  • Bugwal: wallaby
  • Buneen: echidna
  • Bangil / bungil: grass
  • Buhn: knee
  • Buyu: shin
  • Deear : teeth
  • Dhagun: land
  • Dhambur : mouth
  • Dharang: leg
  • Dhiggeri: belly / stomach
  • Dinna: foot
  • Dyrrbin: bone
  • Gahm: head
  • Giga: shoulder
  • Gurumba bigi: good day
  • Gujah / guttah: snake
  • Gagarr / guyurr: fish
  • Juhrram: rain
  • Juwahduwan / juwahnduwan / juwanbinl: bird(s)
  • Killen: finger
  • Kundul: canoe
  • Marra: hand
  • Dumbirrbi / marrambi: koala
  • Mil: eye / eyes
  • Guruman / murri: kangaroo
  • Muru: nose
  • Nammul: children
  • Nggurrun: neck
  • Ngumbi: home / camp
  • Tahbil: water (fresh)
  • Towan: fish
  • Tullei: tree
  • Waiyebba: arm
  • Wunya: welcome / greetings
  • Yilam: forehead

References
  1. E86 Turubul at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies  (see the info box for additional links)
  2. "Turrbal Aboriginal Tribe - Traditional Owners of Brisbane". Turrbal. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  3. Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel. "Acknowledgement of Country". Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel. Queensland Government. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  4. Dixon, R. M. W. (2002). Australian Languages: Their Nature and Development. Cambridge University Press. p. xxxiv.
  5. "E23: Yuggera". Australian Indigenous Languages Database. Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  6. "E66: Yugarabul". Australian Indigenous Languages Database. Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  7. Watson, F.J. (1944). Vocabularies of four representative tribes of South Eastern Queensland : with grammatical notes thereof and some notes on manners and customs, also, a list of Aboriginal place names and their derivations. Royal Geographical Society of Australasia (Queensland). Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  8. Tindale, Norman (1974). Aboriginal tribes of Australia : their terrain, environmental controls, distribution, limits, and proper names. University of California Press. ISBN 0520020057.
  9. Steele, John (1984). Aboriginal pathways : in southeast Queensland and the Richmond River. University of Queensland Press. ISBN 0702219436.
  10. Dixon, R. M. W. (2002). Australian languages their nature and development. Cambridge University Press. pp. xxiv, xxxiv. ISBN 0521473780.
  11. Macquarie Dictionary (19 August 2019). "Good, old-fashioned hard yakka". Macquarie Dictionary. Archived from the original on 11 March 2023.
  12. "Meanings and origins of Australian words and idioms". Australian National University. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  13. "Meanjin debacle: erasing Aboriginal words in order to highlight white women's appropriation". NITV. 6 June 2018.
  14. This Wikipedia article incorporates text from Turrubul published by the State Library of Queensland under CC BY licence, accessed on 14 June 2022.
  15. This Wikipedia article incorporates text from Jagara published by the State Library of Queensland under CC BY licence, accessed on 14 June 2022.
  16. This Wikipedia article incorporates text from Yugarabul published by the State Library of Queensland under CC BY licence, accessed on 14 June 2022.
  17. This Wikipedia article incorporates text from Yuggera published by the State Library of Queensland under CC BY licence, accessed on 14 June 2022.

Further reading
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