Guugu Yimidhirr
Guugu Yimithirr
Pama-Nyungan (Paman, eastern Cape York)
Guugu Yimithirr (also Guugu Yimidhirr; ISO 639-3: kky) is a Paman language of the Pama-Nyungan family, traditionally spoken in country around the Endeavour River in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is now centered at Hope Vale and nearby communities north of Cooktown. The language is widely known for a spatial-reference system that frequently uses absolute cardinal directions, such as north and south, where many languages use speaker-centered terms like left and right. Research on this system has made Guugu Yimithirr important in studies of language, cognition, and spatial orientation. The English word “kangaroo” derives from gangurru, a Guugu Yimithirr word recorded from local speakers by members of James Cook’s expedition at the Endeavour River in 1770.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Guugu Yimithirr
Water
buurraay
/buːraːj/
Fire
—
/—/
Sun
ngalan
/ŋalan/
Moon
giitha
/ɡiːt̪a/
Star
biidhi
/biːt̪i/
Mother
ngamu
/ŋamu/
Father
biiba
/biːba/
I
ngayu
/ŋaju/
You
nyundu
/ɲundu/
Name
gadil
/ˈkatil/
Eye
miil
/miːl/
Hand
mungal
/muŋal/
Heart
—
/—/
Love
—
/—/
Tree
yugu
/juɡu/
House
bayan
/bajan/
Dog
gudaa
/ɡudaː/
Cat
buthigan
/but̪iɡan/
Eat
budal
/budal/
Drink
—
/—/
One
nubuun
/nubuːn/
Two
gudhirra
/kut̪ira/
Hello
—
/—/
Thank you
—
/—/
Good
awuun
/awuːn/
Sources
- Haviland (1979) "Guugu Yimidhirr" in Dixon & Blake (eds.) Handbook of Australian Languages vol. 1, pp.27-180
- Haviland (1979) Guugu Yimidhirr Sketch Grammar (ANU Press)
- Levinson (1992, 1997) "Language and Cognition: The Cognitive Consequences of Spatial Description in Guugu Yimithirr" J. Linguistic Anthropology 7:1
- Glottolog: Guugu Yimithirr (gugu1255)
- Ethnologue: kky
Words compared
Compared with related Pama-Nyungan (Paman, eastern Cape York) languages
| Meaning | Guugu Yimithirr | Luwian | Lardil | Yangkaal | Pyu | Bukar-Sadong Bidayuh | Walmajarri |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | buurraay /buːraːj/ | wār /waːr/ | kantha /kanθa/ | ngogo /ŋoɡo/ | ʔuy /uj/ | piin /piːn/ | ngapa /ˈŋapa/ |
| Fire | — /—/ | — /—/ | jalul /dʒalul/ | ngida /ŋida/ | vyaŋ /wjaŋ/ | apui /aˈpui/ | warlu /ˈwaɭu/ |
| Sun | ngalan /ŋalan/ | 𔖖𔓚 /ˈtiwad/ | thurara /θuɾaɾa/ | wargu /waɾɡu/ | ño /ɲo/ | biduh /biˈduh/ | ngalyarra /ŋaˈʎara/ |
| Moon | giitha /ɡiːt̪a/ | 𔓜𔒄𔗦 /ˈarmas/ | kirdikir /kiɖikir/ | waldar /waldaɾ/ | hla /hla/ | bulan /buˈlan/ | pira /ˈpira/ |
| Star | biidhi /biːt̪i/ | — /—/ | kambin /kambin/ | thurara /t̪uɾaɾa/ | kar /karʔ/ | bitun /bitun/ | wirl /wiɭ/ |
| Mother | ngamu /ŋamu/ | anni- /ˈanni/ | ngama /ŋama/ | ngama /ŋama/ | na /na/ | sindo /sinˈdoʔ/ | ngamaji /ŋaˈmaɟi/ |
| Father | biiba /biːba/ | 𔐞𔑣𔓯𔗔 /ˈtadis/ | — /—/ | kanda /kanda/ | paʔ /paʔ/ | samah /saˈmah/ | kirta /ˈkiʈa/ |
| I | ngayu /ŋaju/ | 𔐀 /ˈamu/ | ngada /ŋada/ | ngada /ŋada/ | ŋa /ŋa/ | aku /aku/ | ngaju /ŋaɟu/ |
| You | nyundu /ɲundu/ | tu /tu/ | nyingki /ɲiŋki/ | nyingka /ɲiŋka/ | naŋ /naŋ/ | muh /muh/ | nyuntu /ɲuntu/ |
| Name | gadil /ˈkatil/ | 𔐓𔓇𔒄𔖪 /ˈalamantsa/ | wangalk /waŋalk/ | warra /wara/ | miŋ /miŋ/ | ngaran /ŋaran/ | yini /jini/ |
| Eye | miil /miːl/ | tawi- /ˈtawi/ | mela /mela/ | miibul /miːbul/ | mik /mik/ | bateh /baˈteh/ | purlka /ˈpuɭka/ |
| Hand | mungal /muŋal/ | 𔑁𔓯𔑶𔖸 /ˈistri/ | marra /maɾa/ | — /—/ | lak /lak/ | təŋən /tə̆ˈŋən/ | marnin /ˈmaɳin/ |
| Heart | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | kurturlu /kuɭˈtuɭu/ |
| Love | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Tree | yugu /juɡu/ | — /—/ | tungal /tuŋal/ | — /—/ | siŋ /siŋ/ | kayuh /kaˈjuh/ | watiya /waˈtija/ |
| House | bayan /bajan/ | 𔔙𔐤𔖪 /ˈparnantsa/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | vaiŋ /waiŋ/ | ramin /raˈmin/ | ngurra /ˈŋura/ |
| Dog | gudaa /ɡudaː/ | zuwana- /tsuˈwana/ | ngawu /ŋawu/ | — /—/ | kwiy /kwij/ | kaso /kaˈsoʔ/ | kunyarr /kuˈɲar/ |
| Cat | buthigan /but̪iɡan/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Eat | budal /budal/ | ad- /ad/ | jitha /dʒiθa/ | — /—/ | cyaʔ /tɕaʔ/ | kuman /kuˈman/ | nga- /ŋa/ |
| Drink | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | ŋinum /ŋiˈnum/ | nga- /ŋa/ |
| One | nubuun /nubuːn/ | — /—/ | kunngirr /kuŋŋir/ | — /—/ | te /te/ | isaʔ /iˈsaʔ/ | kanyjarra /kaɲˈɟara/ |
| Two | gudhirra /kut̪ira/ | — /—/ | kiyarrng /kijaraŋ/ | kiyarrngka /kijaraŋka/ | nit /nit/ | duɔh /duɔh/ | kujarra /kuɟara/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Good | awuun /awuːn/ | wasu- /ˈwaːsu/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | biis /biːs/ | ngurnu /ˈŋuɳu/ |
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