Lower Burdekin
RegionQueensland, Australia
EthnicityJuru? Bindal?
Extinctca. 1900
Pama–Nyungan
Dialects
  • Cunningham vocabulary
  • Gorton vocabulary
  • O'Connor vocabulary (Yuru)
Language codes
ISO 639-3xbb – inclusive code
Individual code:
ljx – Yuru
xbb
Glottologbind1234  Cunningham list
bind1235  Gorton list
bind1236  Mount Elliot (O'Connor) list
yuru1264  Yuru
AIATSIS[1]E62 Yuru
The Burdekin River in 2005
Lower Burdekin languages (green) among other Pama–Nyungan (tan)

The Lower Burdekin languages were probably three distinct Australian Aboriginal languages spoken around the mouth of the Burdekin River in north Queensland. One short wordlist in each was collected in the 19th century, and published in the second volume of The Australian Race in 1886. These languages have since gone extinct, with no more having been recorded. Due to the paucity of the available data, almost nothing of their grammatical structure is known.

The O'Connor language goes by the name Yuru, and may have been Dyirbalic;[2] others may have been Maric. However, Breen analysed two of the lists and concluded that they were different languages, neither Maric.[2] He presumes that one of them was Bindal.[3]

English Cunningham
vocabulary		 Gorton
vocabulary		 O'Connor
vocabulary
Kangaroo hoora wootha arragoo
Opossum moonganna goong onehunger
Tame dog oogier minde oodoodoo
Emu kowwerra goondaloo karboonmillery
Black duck yammooroo buggininulli hoorooburry
Wood duck mumboogooba detto culburh
Pelican boloona booloon dooroomully
Laughing jackass kowurgurra kookaburra karcoobura
Native companion braroogan buberenulli kooroogowgun
White cockatoo digooi bugina bunginna
Crow wyaguna wethergun wombugah
Swan woergerella
Egg wyoorda werroo gunnoo
Track of a foot dooigooburra yulmun
Fish weenburra kooia weambura
Lobster koongooya goonaway boogurrie
Crayfish goombarroo inundah
Mosquito kowearoo dee hoonhoono
Fly karoovella nin
Snake oongullab wormbaloo boongi (carpet)
The Blacks murre dulgooh
A Blackfellow dulgooh
A Black woman wurrungooa gungan tudgegun
Nose urrooa woodroo wuneary
Hand mobirra mulbroo wurrumby
2 Blacks blarin dulgooh
3 Blacks wungoo dulgooh
One warmina warrin
Two blareena bool blarin
Three kudjua ka wungoo
Four kulburra murragi
Father kiya yaba, yabo abah
Mother younga yanga yunguma
Sister—Elder kootha kooda
Brother—Elder wabooa kudun
A young man karrebella thillagal deebahgul
An old man booingermunna bunganan nuganugamun
An old woman boingergunna bulnagun bundeyun
A baby mullererammoo cowla
A White man yooarroo yuarroo
Children erroomunna moolaramoo
Head kurria kabbon karboyan
Eye mudjura deburri deebara
Ear awbilla [sic] wobbilla kungun
Mouth da yawirra unga
Teeth irra woonung dingull
Hair of the head gunnarri targuinn
Beard thungier thungi talba
Thunder degoroo digoro burrahroo
Grass wudthoor quwytho narahminie
Tongue thullamia dulling
Stomach bunboona borlo boonda
Breasts woorga wuggunna dulnbinn
Thigh toomburra thoombur duburrin
Foot dingooburra bulliger dingooburra
Bone bulbanna mimmoon
Blood gwiburri moondtha queeberry
Skin yoolanna uline mindeer
Fat towie koonoo, goomo boongaroo
Bowels gurroona kullinga yaboo
Excrement goonna goonna guno
War-spear nirremoo woomburro woolunbura
Reed-spear wollaburra (none used)
Wommera or throwing-stick birrana buddurrie
Shield goolmurri gooldinare poodda poodda
Tomahawk bulgooa nubanin oolun
Canoe kobbetheba bettel-bettel karbeyal
Sun burgorri kartri mulloun
Moon bowarri waboonburra
Star bunjoldi tor, bangala dirilger
Light burgungubba baragunna
Dark wooroowobba moonoo wulhurrie
Cold didoora detto orbehgun
Heat towarroo moondo moondo
Day woorabunda unbur
Night wooroonga woormooga
Fire wygunna booninin neebull
Water kowara thoolanoo dunjun
Smoke toogar doongin
Ground nannier numera dingur
Wind quioona queeyon uinne
Rain yoogana broothi marroo
Wood doola dulla moora
Stone burreea burtheroo bungil
Camp yaamba yamba midera
Yes yea umba yu yow
No kurra kateka karbil
I iyooa uda
You yindooa ninda
Bark bulgan boogoo bulgun
Good boongoon
Bad kooyooa diga
Sweet kowangubba goondi
Food igango dungee, ogoo
Hungry nagnoora kabbil garoo
Thirsty dthunginna armboo yulburana
Eat igango dulgee ogoo
Sleep boogoora boogooroo boog oggba
Drink bithungo bitthana kudge ogoo
Walk kunnaigo warin
See timmi thimmi na
Sit thunnango thunara duri
Yesterday yambowerroe dirrierih
To-day nilla nilla cudgin
To-morrow burgenda burringa burrigunda
Where are the Blacks? ondia murre? ulba dalgul?
I don't know kurra mira carbilbrather
Plenty qniarilla [sic] murrgi
Big wiarra yunga
Little wa-baw-au-boona wabungam arbooro
Dead waulgoona wolgoon walgoon
By-and-by thagoo boodinhi
Come on kowa kooa

References

  1. ^ E62 Yuru at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
  2. ^ a b "E62: Yuru". Australian Indigenous Languages Database. Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  3. ^ "E61: Bindal". Australian Indigenous Languages Database. Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
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