Tangkic languages
Language family of northern Australia
title: "Tangkic languages" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["tangkic-languages", "language-families", "non-pama-nyungan-languages", "indigenous-australian-languages-in-queensland", "indigenous-australian-languages-in-the-northern-territory"] description: "Language family of northern Australia" topic_path: "linguistics" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangkic_languages" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Language family of northern Australia ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox language family"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Tangkic |
| region | southeastern coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria, Wellesley Islands |
| familycolor | Australian |
| fam1 | Macro-Pama–Nyungan? |
| fam2 | Greater Pama–Nyungan? |
| glotto | tang1340 |
| glottorefname | Tangkic |
| child1 | Leerdil |
| child2 | Kayardild–Yangkaal |
| child3 | Yukulta |
| child4 | ?Minkin |
| map | Macro-Pama-Nyungan_languages.png |
| mapcaption | Garawa and Tangkic (green). Tangkic lies along the coast. |
| :: |
|name=Tangkic |region= southeastern coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria, Wellesley Islands |familycolor=Australian |fam1= Macro-Pama–Nyungan? |fam2=Greater Pama–Nyungan? |glotto=tang1340 |glottorefname=Tangkic |child1=Leerdil |child2=Kayardild–Yangkaal |child3=Yukulta |child4=?Minkin |map=Macro-Pama-Nyungan_languages.png |mapcaption=Garawa and Tangkic (green). Tangkic lies along the coast.
The Tangkic languages form a small language family of Australian Aboriginal languages spoken in northern Australia.
The Tangkic languages are Lardil (Leerdil) and its special register Damin, Kayardild, and Yukulta (also known as Ganggalida or Nyangga). Of these Lardil is quite divergent, while Yukulta and Kayardild are mutually intelligible.
The extinct and poorly attested Minkin language may have been part of the Tangkic family.
Vocabulary
Capell (1942) lists the following basic vocabulary items:
:{| class="wikitable sortable" ! English !! Laːdil !! Neːmarang |- ! man | jugadbaɖa || bidinaŋga |- ! woman | binŋin || magudaŋga |- ! head | lälga || nälda |- ! eye | gɔa || miːbul |- ! nose | njulda || girga |- ! mouth | Lämin || wara |- ! tongue | djalda Lämin || djärŋana |- ! wallaby | gandjin || magurag |- ! crow | waːga || djaɖag |- ! sun | warga || wargu |- ! moon | giɖigiɽ || waldar |- ! fire | njuda || ŋida |- ! smoke | ḏuŋal || wadu |- ! water | ŋoga || ŋogo |- ! raft | wälba || wälbu |- ! paddle | bilir || bilir |- ! father | ganda || ganda |- ! mother | ŋama || |- ! sky, above | vägiri, walman || warmu |- ! ground | duLga || duLga |- ! wind | wanŋal || warma |- ! snake | jälbur || jälbur |- ! food | vɛnɛ || wulaŋ |- ! ashes | bɔrbo || galar |- ! sea | mäla || mala |- ! whirlwind | warguḏulɛn || danamaŋ |}
References
References
- Bowern, Claire. 2011. "[http://anggarrgoon.wordpress.com/2011/12/23/how-many-languages-were-spoken-in-australia/ How Many Languages Were Spoken in Australia?]", ''Anggarrgoon: Australian languages on the web'', 23 December 2011 ([http://pamanyungan.sites.yale.edu/master-list-australian-languages-v12 corrected] 6 February 2012)
- Capell, Arthur. 1941-1942, 1942-1943. [https://glottolog.org/resource/reference/id/104191 Languages of Arnhem Land, North Australia]. ''Oceania'' 12: 364-392, 13: 24-51.
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