Jarrakan languages
| Jarragan | |
|---|---|
| Jarrakan, Djeragan | |
| Geographic distribution | from Halls Creek to Wyndham and Kununurra along the Ord River in the eastern Kimberley region |
| Linguistic classification | One of the world's primary language families |
| Subdivisions |
|
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | jarr1235 |
Jarragan languages (purple), among other non-Pama-Nyungan languages (grey) | |
| Notes | See Gija Dictionary (Kofod et al., 2022) for standard orthography. |
The Jarragan (formerly, Jarrakan or Djeragan) languages are a small family of Australian Aboriginal languages spoken in northern Australia. The name is derived from the word jarrag, which means "language" in Kija.
The three main Jarragan languages are:
- Jarragan
- Gija (about 160 speakers)
- Miriwoongic
- Miriwoong (about 150 speakers)
- Gajirrawoong †
These are divided into two groups: Gijic, consisting of only Gija, and Miriwoongic, consisting of Miriwoong and Gajirrawoong; Dixon (2002) considers the latter to be a single language.
Doolboong may also have been a Jarragan language, but this is uncertain as it is extinct and essentially unattested.