| Yuin–Kuric | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution: |
New South Wales, ACT, and SE Queensland, Australia |
| Linguistic classification: | Pama–Nyungan
|
| Subdivisions: |
Yuin
Kuri
Yora
|
The Yuin–Kuric languages are a group of indigenous Australian languages within the Pama–Nyungan family.[1] These languages are divided into the Yuin, Kuri, and Yora subgroups,[2] although exact classifications vary between researchers. Yuin–Kuric languages were spoken by the original inhabitants of what are now the cities of Sydney and Canberra, as well as surrounding areas. Most of the Yuin–Kuric languages are now extinct.
The koala is named from the word gula for the animal in Dharuk,[3] a Yuin–Kuri language within the Yora subgroup, and the same word occurs in other Yuin–Kuri languages, such as Gundungurra,[4] within the Yuin subgroup.
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The Yuin subgroup includes:[2]
Older classifications also included the following,[2] which have since been split off as two additional branches of Pama–Nyungan:[7]
The Yora (or Iyora) subgroup is sometimes divided among the other two subgroups. Spoken in the region of Sydney, it is sometimes defined to include the Awabakal language[5] listed above, as well as:[2]
Jeremy Steele's partial reconstruction of the Sydney language[11] includes a comparison of pronouns in several Yuin–Kuric languages. The following partial and simplified version shows some of the similarities and differences across the family:
| Language | Group | I | You (singular) | He | We two (inclusive) | We two (exclusive) | We all (inclusive) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gundungurra | Yuin | gula-ngGa, gula-nga | gulandyi | dhanaladhu | gulanga | gulangala(ng) | gulanyan, gulambanya(n) |
| Tharawal | Yuin | ngayagang(ga) | nyindigang | namarang | ngulgang | ngangaling(ga) | nyulgang(ga) |
| Awabakal | Kuri | ngaduwa | nginduwa | nyuwuwa | bali | balinuwa | ngiyin |
| Darkinjung | Yora | ngaya | nyindi, ngindi | nuwa | ngaliya | ngungaliya | ngiyang |
| Dharuk | Yora | ngaya | nyindi, ngindi | nanu | ngali | — | — |
As noted above, some researchers subdivide the Yuin–Kuric languages differently from others, and several languages of the Kuri subgroup have been otherwise classified within the Pama–Nyungan family.
Australian linguist R. M. W. Dixon rejects the concept of Pama–Nyungan languages completely, and indeed questions the traditional "family-tree" model of linguistic change. Dixon's classification does not include the Yuin–Kuric languages as a category.[12] Dixon presents a geographically-based classification, which has considerable overlap with the three subgroups Yuin, Kuri, and Yora:
| Classification above | Dixon[12] |
|---|---|
| Yuin | P: Southern New South Wales group |
| Ngarigo languages | Pa: Southern tablelands group (with Pa2 = Ngarigo and Pa1 = Ngunnawal) |
| Gundungurra | included in Pa1 |
| Tharawal languages | Pb: New South Wales south coast group (with Pb1 = Tharawal, Pb2 = Dhurga, Pb3 = Dyirringanj, and Pb4 = Thawa) |
| Kuri | N: Central New South Wales group |
| Awabakal and Gadjang/Worimi | Na: Awabagal/Gadjang subgroup (with Na1 = Awabakal and Nb2 = Gadjang/Worimi) |
| Djangadi and Anaiwan/Nganyaywana | Nb: Djangadi/Nganyaywana subgroup (with Nb1 = Djangadi and Nb2 = Anaiwan/Nganyaywana) |
| Yugambal | not included here (part of M: Central east coast group) |
| no equivalent | Nc: Central inland New South Wales subgroup (Wiradhuric languages) |
| Yora | O: Sydney subgroup |
| Dharuk | O1: Dharuk |
| Darkinjung | O2: Darkinjung |
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