Data collected by AUSTLANG

Data on the language

Alternatives names: Mudbura, Mudbura, Mudbara, Mudbera, Mudbra, Moodburra, Mootburra, Mutpura

For additional names and alternative spellings, see the AUSTLANG website.

Classification: Pama-Nyungan family, Ngumpin-Yapa group,  Ngumpin subgroup

Main dialects: McConvell (2006 p.c.) distinguishes three dialects of Mudburra:

– Eastern Mudburra,

– Western Mudburra,

– Kuwarranyji

Karranga is also a possible dialect of Mudburra.

Area: Mudburra is an aboriginal language spoken in the Australian Northern Territory (NT). As we moved north they were increasingly mixed with sites of dual Mudbura/Jingili identity, particularly along Newcastle Creek and Bucket Creek. Only in an area north and north-west from Newcastle Waters homestead were there sites that were linguistically identified as Mudbura only (Sutton 1995:106).

Armstrong River and upper Victoria River junction (n.n. [‘Tjambutjambulani]), southeast of Pigeon Hole Station; south to Cattle Creek; west to the Camfield River and eastward almost to Newcastle Waters; north to Top Springs. Dwellers in the dense scrub country near and west of the place [‘Murandjai] on the so-called Murranji Track (Tindale 1974).

Number of speakers: The Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006 Census estimated 47 speakers of Mudburra.

Language vitality & transmission:

On a scale of 0 to 5, the National Indigenous Language Survey (NILS) classifies Mudburra as a level 2 language, i.e. severely endangered.

Sources & bibliography

Green, Rebecca et al. 2001. Mudburra vocabulary, ASEDA 0699.

Maps

McConvell, Patrick. 1980. Hierarchical variation in pronominal clitic attachment in the eastern Ngumbin languages. In Contributions to Australian linguistics. eds. B Rigsby and P Sutton, 31-117. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.

Merlan, Francesca. 1994. A grammar of Wardaman, a language of the Northern Territory of Australia. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

Nordlinger, Rachel. 1998. A grammar of Wambaya, Northern Territory (Australia). Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.

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

Links

Papulu Apparr-Kari Language Centre website: http://www.aboriginalexperience.com.au/organisations/org_language_centre.html

Katherine Regional Aboriginal Language Centre website: http://www.kathlangcentre.org.au/

Australian National University webpage : http://www.anu.edu.au/linguistics/nash/aust/m/

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

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