Data collected by AUSTLANG

Data on the language

Alternatives names: Konejandi, Koneyandi, Kunian, Kunan, Konean, Konajan, Kuniandu, Kunian, Kunan, Goonien, Gunian, Gun-ian, Gunan

Other names or spellings are used for this language. See Austlang website.

Classification: Bunaban family

Area: Gooniyandi is an aboriginal language spoken in Western Australia (WA): from Fitzroy Crossing in the west to the vicinity of Margaret River Station in the east, a distance of some one hundred and fifty kilometers west to east. This territory abuts on the Great Sandy Desert in the south, and extends into the King Leopold Ranges in the north. (McGregor 1994:4).

West to Fitzroy Crossing; at Bohemia Downs and Margaret River Stations. Formerly south to Christmas Creek, but they lost the open plains on the north side of the river to Walmadjari just before the time of the first appearance of whites. East to junction of Mary and Margaret rivers and the Ramsay Range, north to Stony River, Sandstone, Mueller, Burramundy, and Geikie Ranges; their headquarters were in the eastern limestone areas of the King Leopold Ranges (Tindale 1974).

The general associations were from Gogo homestead in the west to Margaret River homestead in the east, from the drainage of Christmas Creek in the south to the southernmost King Leopold Ranges in the north. Sources in 2007 stated that Margaret River homestead was not associated with Gija, nor does it appear to have been associated with Djaru. Aboriginal people in the 1960s associated the homestead with Gooniyandi (Harvey ASEDA 802).

Number of speakers:

The Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006 Census estimated 418 speakers of Gooniyandi.

Language vitality & transmission:

According to AUSTLANG, Gooniyandi is “no longer fully spoken” (endangerment grade 0).

Sources & bibliography

Kimberley Language Resource Centre. Gooniyandi dictionary, ASEDA 0741.

McGregor, William. 1990. A functional grammar of Gooniyandi. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Maps

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

McGregor, William. 1988. Handbook of Kimberley languages, volume 1: General information. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.

McGregor, William 1990. A functional grammar of Gooniyandi. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

McGregor, William. 1993. Gunin/Kwini. Munich: Lincom Europa.

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

Tsunoda, Tasaku. 1981. The Djaru language of Kimberley, Western Australia. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.

Links

AUSTLANG website: http://austlang.aiatsis.gov.au/main.php

Ethnologue webpage: http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=gni