Ngiyambaa language

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Ngiyambaa
Spoken in: New South Wales
Total speakers: 12 (?)
Language family: Pama-Nyungan
 Central NSW
  Wiradhuric
   Ngiyambaa
Language codes
ISO 639-1: none
ISO 639-2: aus
ISO 639-3: wyb

The Ngiyambaa language is a Pama-Nyungan language of the Wiradhuric subgroup. It was the traditional language of the Wangaaybuwan and Wayilwan peoples of New South Wales, Australia, but is now moribund; according to Donaldson by the 1970's there were only about ten people fluent in Wangaaybuwan, whilst there where only a couple of Wayilwan speakers left.

Ngiyambaa (meaning language), or Ngiyambaambuwali, was also used by the Waangaybuwan and Wayilwan to describe themselves, whilst 'Waangaybuwan' and 'Wayilwan' (meanining 'With Waangay/Wayil' (for 'no') were used to distinguish both the language and the speakers from others who did not have wangaay/wayil for no.

[edit] Other Names

Other names for Ngiyambaa are: Giamba, Narran, Noongaburrah, Ngampah, Ngemba, Ngeumba, Ngiamba, Ngjamba, Ngiyampaa, Ngumbarr; Wangaaybuwan is also called Wongaibon, and Wayilwan is also called Wailwan, Weilwan or Wailwun.

[edit] References

[edit] External links