Data collected by AUSTLANG

Data on the Garrwa language

Alternatives names: Garwa, Garawa, Karawa

For a full list of alternative names and spellings, see Austlang

Classification: Macro-Pama-Nyungan, isolate.

Here we follow Evans’ classification( 1997) which groups together Takic and Pama-Nyungan families, together with the Garawa isolate. If each of these « sub-families » are, on the whole, consensual, the same cannot be said about their grouping under the “Macro-Pama-Nyungan” label, for it is not fully supported.

A more “classical” classification would consider it to be a language isolate.

Area: Australia, Northern Territory.

Foelsche River and Robinson River, south to headwaters of Robinson River and to Seigalls Creek Homestead; east to Wollogorang and to Westmoreland outstation, northward only to edge of coastal plain about 40 miles (65 km.) inland from the sea; Calvert Hills.

Number of speakers: The 2005 National Indigenous Languages Survey Report estimated the number of Garrwa speakers at approximately 40.

Language vitality & transmission:

Both NILS and UNESCO consider Garrwa to be a “severely endangered” language. Most of the speakers are elders, the language is hardly transmitted.

Papulu Apparr-Kari Language Centre is running a language revitalization program.

Bibliography

Breen, Gavan. 2003. “The Barkly: Wanyi and Garrwa comparative data”. In The non-Pama-Nyungan languages of northern Australia : comparative studies of the continent’s most linguistically complex region, ed. N Evans, 425-462. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.

Belfrage, Hugh. 1992. Aspects of verb and pronoun morphology, semantics and syntax in Garrwa, University of Melbourne: BA (Hons).

Belfrage, Hugh. 1997. Garrwa Jangkurr: Garrwa dictionary draft, ms.

Harvey, Mark. 2008. Non-Pama-Nyungan Languages: land-language associations at colonisation (ASEDA 802).

McConvell, Patrick & Evans, Nicholas. (eds.) 1997. Archaeology and Linguistics: Global Perspectives on Ancient Australia. Melbourne: Oxford University Press

Tindale, Norman. 1974. Tribal Boundaries in Aboriginal Australia. Canberra: Division of National Mapping, Department of National Development.

See Austlang for a complete bibliography.

Links

Papulu Apparr-Kari Language Centre website

AUSTLANG website