| Region | Northern Territory |
|---|---|
| Ethnicity | Gaagudju, Watta |
| Extinct | May 2002, with the death of Big Bill Neidjie |
| Ref | e27 |
| Familycolor | Australian |
| Fam 1 | Macro-Gunwinyguan? Arnhem Land? |
| Dia 1 | Wada |
| Iso 3 | gbu |
| Aiatsis | N50 |
| Glotto | gaga1251 |
| Glottorefname | Gaagudju |
| Notice | IPA |
| States | Australia |
| Altname | Kakadu |
Gaagudju (also spelt Gagadu, Gaguju, and Kakadu) is an extinct Australian Aboriginal language formerly spoken in the environs of Kakadu National Park, in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia.
Country and status
Explorer Baldwin Spencer incorrectly ascribed the name "Kakadu tribe" to all of the people living in the Alligator Rivers area,[1][2] but Gaagudju was confined to the plains South and East Alligator Rivers.[3]
The language is classed as extinct, since its last fluent speaker, Big Bill Neidjie, died on 23 May 2002;[4][5]
Classification
Gaagudju has traditionally been classified with the Gunwinyguan languages. However, in 1997 Nicholas Evans proposed an Arnhem Land family that includes Gaagudju.
Phonology
Vowels
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| High | i iː | u uː |
| Mid | e eː | o oː |
| Low | a aː | |
Consonants
| Peripheral | Laminal | Apical | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilabial | Velar | Palatal | Alveolar | Retroflex | |
| Stop | p | k | c | t | ʈ |
| Nasal | m | ŋ | ɲ | n | ɳ |
| Lateral | ʎ | l | 𝼈 | ||
| Rhotic | r | ɻ | |||
| Semivowel | w | j | |||
Vocabulary
Capell (1942) lists the following basic vocabulary items:[6]
- {| class="wikitable sortable"
! gloss !! Gagadu |- | man || djereiŋi |- | woman || djireːwan |- | head || ŋaːṙi |- | eye || bɔːrɔ |- | nose || geːni |- | mouth || djaːbul |- | tongue || ŋaːndjil |- | stomach || mabulu |- | bone || benaːgăra |- | blood || maneŋul |- | kangaroo || baːgu |- | opossum || mɔɳɔ |- | emu || gabaṙɛːbi |- | crow || mawaːga |- | fly || ŋɔrmul |- | sun || gobolbara |- | moon || maɖba |- | fire || gudjäli |- | smoke || uŋari |- | water || gaṙu |}
References
- ^ "Kakadu National Park, NT". Aussie Towns. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ Spencer, Baldwin (2020). Native Tribes of the Northern Territory of Australia. Library of Alexandria. ISBN 978-1-4655-7998-0. Retrieved 14 March 2021. – via Google Books.
- ^ AIATSIS
- ^ Kemp, David (24 May 2002). "Passing of Kakadu elder Big Bill Neidje". Parliament of Australia
- ^ Mackinolty, Chips (17 June 2002). "The man who attended his own wake: Big Bill Neidjie, Kakadu Man, circa WWI-2002". The Sydney Morning Herald
- ^ Capell, Arthur. 1941-1942, 1942-1943. Languages of Arnhem Land, North Australia. Oceania 12: 364-392, 13: 24-51.
- Harvey, Mark (2002). A Grammar of Gaagudju. Walter de Gruyter.