Badimaya language facts for kids

Badimaya (also called Badimia) is an Aboriginal language from Western Australia. It belongs to the Kartu group within the larger Pama–Nyungan language family. The Badimaya people, who live in the Mid West region, traditionally speak this language.

Sadly, Badimaya is a critically endangered language. This means very few people still speak it. Only about 20 elderly Aboriginal people, all over 65 years old, speak Badimaya today. But there's a strong effort by the Badimaya community to bring their language back to life!

Where is Badimaya Spoken?

Badimaya was once spoken over a huge area in Western Australia. This area stretched from Lake Moore and Ninghan Station in the south. It went all the way up to Mount Magnet and Kirkalocka Station in the north.

Today, Badimaya people live in many towns across the Mid West region. These include Mount Magnet, Geraldton, Yalgoo, Mullewa, Meekatharra, and Perth.

The traditional Badimaya land is next to other Aboriginal language groups. To the east is the Western Desert language. To the south-west is Noongar, and to the north-west is Wajarri.

Different Kinds of Badimaya

Experts believe there were at least two main ways Badimaya was spoken. These were a northern and a southern kind. People who speak Badimaya know there are differences in how people from different areas speak.

There's also a language called Widi (or Wiri). It might be a different way of speaking Badimaya, but we're not completely sure.

How Badimaya Sounds

Badimaya has sounds that are common in many Aboriginal languages from Western Australia. It uses six places in the mouth to make consonant sounds. It also has three main vowel sounds, like 'a', 'i', and 'u'.

Words in Badimaya often have endings added to them. The order of words in a sentence can be quite flexible. This means you can often arrange words in different ways and still make sense.

Saving the Badimaya Language

The Bundiyarra Irra Wangga Language Centre has been working hard to save the Badimaya language since 1993. They have published a dictionary that translates Badimaya words into English. They also made children's books to help young people learn.

Ollie George, an elder from Mount Magnet, was the last person who spoke Badimaya fluently. He worked with the Language Centre for many years to record and document the language. This work is very important for future generations.

In 2017, a special project called Nganang Badimaya Wangga was created. It was a team effort between the Irra Wangga Language Centre and local artists. They made a book with over 20 stories about Ollie's life. They also created a short video and an art exhibition. This project helped share the Badimaya language and culture with more people.