Kalaw Lagaw Ya facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kalau Lagau Ya
Western Torres Strait Mabuiag
Region	Western and Central Torres Strait Islands, Queensland
Ethnicity	Badu Island, Mabuiag, Kaurareg, Mualgal, Saibai Island, Boigu, Dauan Island, Kulkalgal, Maluigal (Torres Strait Islanders)
Native speakers	888  (2021 census)
Language family	Pama–Nyungan Kalau Lagau Ya
Dialects	Kalau Lagau Ya, alt. Kalaw Lagaw Ya Kalau Kawau Ya, alt. Kalaw Kawaw Ya Kulkalgau Ya Kaiwaligau Ya
AIATSIS	Y1
Linguasphere	29-RG(A-a)
Range of Kalau Lagau Ya (orange) in the Torres Strait
This page contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters.

Kalau Lagau Ya, also known as the Western Torres Strait language, is a special language. It belongs to the people who originally lived in the central and western Torres Strait Islands in Queensland, Australia. On some islands, people now mostly speak Torres Strait Creole instead.

Before Australia was settled by Europeans in the 1870s–1880s, Kalau Lagau Ya was a very important language. It was used by many different groups to talk to each other across the Torres Strait area. This included northern Cape York in Australia and parts of Papua New Guinea. Even today, some people from Papua and some Aboriginal Australians still speak it. There are also simpler versions of the language. These are used by people who are not native speakers. For example, a simplified form is common on Badu Island and nearby Moa.

Names of the Language

The language has many names, not just Kalaw Lagaw Ya. Most of these names come from different dialects or ways of spelling. They also include translations like Western Island Language and Central Island Language.

Sometimes, people from the Eastern Islands and nearby Papua call Kala Lagaw Ya by another name: Yagar Yagar. This comes from the word yagar, which Western and Central Islanders often use to show they feel sympathetic or nostalgic.

In books and studies about the language, you might see abbreviations like KLY (for Kalaw Lagaw Ya) or KKY (for Kalau Kawau Ya). The name Mabuiag was used a lot in early research. However, the official name chosen by the High Court in 2013 is Kalau Lagau Ya.

When speakers talk to each other, they often just say Langgus (meaning 'language'). They might also use phrases like ngalpudh muli, which means "speak our language." This phrase literally means 'like us'.

Where it is Spoken

Languages used at home by Torres Strait Islanders in localities with significant share of Torres Strait islander population.

Kalau Lagau Ya is spoken on the western and central islands of the Torres Strait. These islands are located between Papua New Guinea (called Naigay Dœgam Dhaudhai, meaning "North-side Mainland") and the Australian mainland (called Zey Dœgam Dhaudhai, meaning "South-side Mainland"). However, on some islands, the language has been mostly replaced by Brokan, which is Torres Strait Creole.

Some old stories suggest that Kalau Lagau Ya was once spoken as a first language in a few villages near the Torres Strait in Papua. It was also spoken by the Hiámo people of Daru. These people originally came from Yama (Yam Island) in the Torres Strait. Many Hiámo people moved to the Thursday Island area centuries ago to escape from another group called the Kiwai.

Language Family and Connections

Kalau Lagaw Ya is part of the Pama–Nyungan languages family. This is a large group of Aboriginal Australian languages. Some experts believe it's a "mixed language." This means it has a main part that is Australian, but it also has many words and features from Papuan languages and Austronesian languages. Other experts think it's more like a Papuan language.

For example, the words for "I," "you," and "they" are typical of Australian languages. But many words for family members come from Papuan languages. Also, words about the sea, canoes, and farming often come from Austronesian languages.

Kalaw Lagaw Ya shares only a few words with its closest Australian language neighbor, Urradhi. But it shares many words (about 40%) with its Papuan neighbor, Meriam Mìr. This shows how much it has been influenced by other languages. In fact, potentially 80% of its words might not be Australian.

Old stories and archaeological finds show that Austronesian traders and settlers visited the Torres Strait and nearby areas a long time ago. This explains why Kalau Lagaw Ya has many Austronesian words. Some examples include words for "heavy," "deep water," "mango," and "mat."

The history of languages in the Torres Strait is very complex. For over 2500 years, different groups have interacted. This has led to many common words being shared between local languages.

History of the Language

Studying the words, grammar, and sounds of Kalau Lagaw Ya tells us a lot about its past.

• Australian Roots: It has basic words, all its personal pronouns (like "who" and "what"), and some verbs from Australian languages. Its grammar, like how nouns and verbs change, is also clearly Australian.
• Papuan Influences: Some basic words and verbs come from Papuan languages. Also, how verbs show number (singular, dual, plural) and how they use "be" verbs are similar to Papuan languages.
• Austronesian Influences: Many words, especially those about the sea, farming, canoes, and the sky, come from Austronesian languages. Some grammar words might also be from Austronesian.

This suggests that Kalau Lagaw Ya is not a new "mixed" language. Instead, it's an Australian language that has been strongly changed by other languages. People who spoke other languages learned Kalau Lagaw Ya over a long time. They kept speaking their own languages too, and some of their words and sounds became part of Kalau Lagaw Ya.

For example, the language lost some sounds common in Australian languages. It also gained new sounds like 's', 'z', 't', 'd', 'o', and 'òò'. These changes affected even the Australian words in the language.

Most of the non-Australian words are about things like the sea, farming, and canoes. This suggests that people borrowed many words, but the main structure of the language stayed Australian.

Old stories collected by researchers suggest that Austronesian traders settled in the Torres Strait. They married local women who spoke Australian languages. Their children grew up speaking their mothers' language, but they also learned some words from their fathers' Austronesian language. Over time, the Australian language structure remained strong, but many Papuan and Austronesian words were added.

So, Kalau Lagaw Ya is a mixed language. A big part of its words, sounds, and grammar comes from non-Australian sources. But its main grammar for nouns, pronouns, and verbs is Australian.

Outside Influences

Kalau Lagaw Ya also has words from languages outside the Torres Strait. These include words from Indonesian, Malay, Philippine languages, and English. Some of these words might have come into the language before Europeans arrived. This could be from traders like the Makassans who visited northern Australia.

Here are some examples of words borrowed from other languages:

Some words seem to be very old loans, possibly from before European contact. These might even come from Arabic or Sanskrit.

More recent loans, especially from Polynesian and Melanesian languages, are often for religious or academic terms.

Some words related to the Bible come from Ancient Greek, Latin, and Biblical Hebrew.

Interestingly, some early English words borrowed into the language changed their form. For example, "custard-apple" became katitap, and "mammy-apple" (papaya) became mamiyap.

Different Dialects

There are four main dialects of Kalau Lagaw Ya. A dialect is a different way a language is spoken in different areas. Two of these dialects are almost gone. One, Kaiwaligau Ya, is becoming more like the nearby Kalaw Lagaw Ya. The dialects are very similar, with about 97% of words being the same.

• Northern dialect: Kalau Kawau Ya (Kalaw Kawaw Ya). Spoken on Saibai, Dœwan (Dauan), and Bœigu (Boigu). Also in Bamaga/Seisia on Cape York.
• Western dialect: Kalau Lagau Ya (Kalaw Lagaw Ya). Spoken on Mabuyag (Mabuiag) and Badhu (Badu). This dialect also has a simpler form. This is especially true on Badhu, where many foreign men settled with their Island wives long ago.
• Eastern dialect: (Central Island dialect, spoken by the Kulkulgal nation): Kulkalgau Ya. Spoken on Masig, Yama, Waraber, Puruma, and nearby islands like Nagi.
• Southern dialect: (South-West Islands): Kaiwaligau Ya [Kauraraigau Ya]. Spoken on Muralag, Ngœrupai, and other islands in the Thursday Island group, Mua (Moa), Muri. This dialect is now becoming more like Kalaw Lagaw Ya.

Old stories say that the ancestors of the Kowrareg people (who speak the Southern dialect) originally came from Dharu (Daru) to the north-east of Torres Strait. They had previously settled on Dharu from Yama in Central Torres Strait. This links the Southern dialect closely to the Northern dialect.

How the Dialects Sound Different

The way the dialects sound is mostly the same. But there are a few regular differences.

Vowel Sounds

In Kulkalgau Ya and Kaiwalgau Ya, the last vowel sound in a word is often dropped. For example, maalu 'sea' becomes maal’. In Kalaw Lagaw Ya, these final vowels are often not fully pronounced. They are sometimes deleted in everyday talk.

The length of vowel sounds can also be different. In Kalaw Lagaw Ya, stressed vowels in short words are often made longer automatically.

Missing Sounds

A few words in Kalau Kawau Ya don't have a final 'i' sound that is found in other dialects. For example, "banana plant" is dawai in other dialects, but just dawa in KKY.

How the Dialects Use Grammar Differently

The main grammar differences are in how verbs are made negative and how tenses are used.

Making Verbs Negative

In most dialects, to make a verb negative (like "didn't eat"), you change the verb into a special noun form. For example, "I ate a fish" is Ngath waapi purthanu. But "I didn't eat a fish" becomes Ngau wapiu purthaiginga.

However, in the Kalau Kawau Ya dialect, it's simpler. They use a special negative form of the verb that doesn't change. So, "I didn't eat a fish" is still Ngath waapi purthaiginga.

Verb Tenses

The Kalau Kawau Ya dialect has more verb tenses. For example, it has a "remote future" tense. Other dialects often use the "habitual" tense instead for future events. The Kalaw Lagaw Ya dialect also has a special "last night" tense.

The way certain endings are added to verbs also differs between dialects.

Noun Endings

The main difference in noun endings is the "dative" ending, which means "to" or "for." It can be -ka or -pa depending on the dialect.

The ending for plural nouns (more than one) also changes slightly. For example, "pig" is burum, and its plural is burumal. But "place" is lag, and its plural can be lagal or lagalai.

Different Words in Dialects

The biggest differences between the dialects are the words they use. Here are some examples:

• house/building: KLY mùùdha, KulY mùdh, KY laag, KKY laag
• grandad: KLY/KulY/KY athe, KKY pòpu
• small, little: KLY/KulY/KY mœgi, Saibai/Dœwan mœgina, Bœigu mœgina, kœthuka
• woman, female: KKY yipkaz, KLY/KulY ipikaz, KY ipkai
• man, male: KKY garkaz, KLY/KulY garka, KY garkai
• song: KLY naawu, KulY nawu, KY nawu, KKY na
• moon, month: KLY kisaayi, KKY mœlpal

How the Language Sounds

Kala Lagaw Ya is unique among Australian languages because it has certain 's' and 'z' sounds. These sounds can also sometimes be pronounced like 'ch' and 'j'. The language also has clear differences between sounds like 'p' and 'b', or 't' and 'd'. It's one of the few Australian languages without "retroflex" sounds (where the tongue curls back).

It also has only one 'r' sound, one 'l' sound, and one 'n' sound. Older versions of the language had two 'r' sounds, but one of them has mostly changed to 'y', 'w', or disappeared.

Consonant Sounds

Note: The 'd' sound can sometimes be like an 'r' sound.

Vowel Sounds

Note: The long 'ùù' sound is only found in Kala Lagaw Ya. Vowel length can change depending on the word. The rounded/unrounded sounds are similar to Papuan languages.

Vowel sounds can also change slightly depending on where they are in a word or phrase. For example, long vowels might become shorter.

How it is Written

There isn't one single way to spell Kalau Lagaw Ya. Three slightly different spelling systems are used, and people often mix them.

Older Spelling Systems

• Mission Spelling: This was set up by missionaries in the 1870s. It used letters like a, b, d, e, g, i, j, k, l, m, n, ng, o, ö, p, r, s, t, u, z. Sometimes, double vowels were used to show a long sound. This system is found in old reports and books.
• Klokheid and Bani Spelling: Created in the 1970s, this system uses double vowels (like aa, ee) to show long sounds. It also uses dh for a 'd' sound made with the tongue against the teeth, and th for a 't' sound made the same way.
• Saibai, Boigu, Dauan Students' Spelling: Also from the late 1970s, this system is similar to Klokheid and Bani, but it rarely shows vowel length.

People often spell words how they sound to them. This means words can be spelled in many ways, like sena/sina for 'that, there'. This depends on a person's age, family, island, and even if they are speaking poetry. It can be hard to decide what the "most correct" spelling is.

Some people prefer the old mission spelling, while others prefer the newer systems. There's a big debate about using 'w' and 'y' for certain sounds. Many native speakers find it easier to use 'u' and 'i' instead.

A new dictionary is being made that mixes the Mission and Kalau Kawau Ya spellings. It adds special marks to help people pronounce words correctly, especially those who don't speak the language.

How to Pronounce the Letters

Here's a guide to how the letters are pronounced, using Australian English sounds as a comparison.

• a (short): like 'u' in hut (e.g., gath 'shallow')
• a, á (long): like 'a' in father (e.g., áth 'bottom turtle shell')
• b: like English 'b' (e.g., Báb 'Dad')
• d: like English 'd' (e.g., da 'chest')
• dh: like 'd' but with tongue on top teeth (e.g., dha 'ladder')
• e (short): like 'e' in bed (e.g., bero 'rib')
• e, é (long): like 'are' in bared (e.g., gér 'sea snake')
• g: like English 'g' in get (e.g., gigi 'thunder')
• i (short): like short 'ee' in feet (e.g., midh 'how')
• i, í (long): like 'ee' in feed (e.g., síb 'liver')
• k: like English 'k' (e.g., kikiman 'hurry up')
• l: like English 'l' in lean, but tongue on top teeth (e.g., lág 'place')
• m: like English 'm' (e.g., mám 'love')
• n: like English 'n' in nun, but tongue on top teeth (e.g., naawu 'song')
• ng: like 'ng' in English sing (e.g., ngai 'I')
• o (short): like 'o' in got, but more rounded (e.g., sob 'slowness')
• o (long): like 'o' in god, but more rounded (e.g., gor 'tie-hole')
• ò (short): like 'oa' in broad (e.g., mòdhabil 'costs')
• ò (long): like 'oa' in broad (e.g., mòs 'lung')
• œ (short): like 'a' in about (e.g., bœtœm 'lean')
• œ (long): like 'er' in herd (e.g., wœr 'water')
• p: like English 'p' (e.g., papi 'noose')
• r: like 'tt' in better when said fast. Can be trilled at the end of a word. (e.g., ári 'rain')
• s: usually like English 's' in sister; sometimes like 'ch' in chew (e.g., sas 'style')
• t: like English 't' (e.g., tádu 'sand-crab')
• th: like 't' but with tongue on top teeth (e.g., tha 'crocodile tail')
• u (short): like 'u' in lute (e.g., buthu 'sand')
• u, ú (long): like 'oo' in woo (e.g., búzar 'fat')
• ù: like 'u' in put (e.g., mùdh 'shelter')
• w: a soft 'w' sound (e.g., wa 'yes')
• y: a soft 'y' sound (e.g., ya 'speech')
• z: usually like English 'z' in zoo; sometimes like 'j' in jump (e.g., zázi 'grass skirt')

Combinations of vowels (like ai, au) are pronounced by saying each vowel sound. For example, ai is like 'a-i'.

Grammar Basics

The grammar of Kalau Lagaw Ya is a mix of different types. Nouns change their endings to show their role in a sentence (like who is doing the action, or where something is). This is called "cases."

Nouns can be singular (one), dual (two), or plural (more than two). The singular and dual forms are often the same, except for pronouns. The plural form is usually only different when the noun is the subject or object of a sentence.

There are two main types of nouns: Common Nouns (like "tree" or "house") and Proper Nouns (like names of people or boats). They have slightly different grammar rules.

Pronouns

The pronouns (words like "I," "you," "he") in Kalau Lagaw Ya change their form depending on if they are the one doing the action, the one receiving the action, or showing possession.

For example:

• ngai means 'I' or 'me' (when I'm the one doing the action).
• ngœna means 'me' (when I'm the one receiving the action).
• ngath means 'by me' or 'with me'.
• ngau means 'my' (for masculine things).
• ngœzu means 'my' (for feminine things).

The language also has special pronouns for "we two," "you two," and "they two."

Verbs

Verbs in Kalau Lagaw Ya can have over 100 different forms! They change to show when something happened (tense), how it happened (aspect), and who did it.

Verbs agree with the object (the thing receiving the action) in sentences where an action is done to something. In sentences where no action is done to something, they agree with the subject (the one doing the action).

There are three main ways to look at how an action happens:

• Perfective: The action is completed.
• Imperfective: The action is ongoing or repeated.
• Habitual: The action happens regularly.

There are also different "voices" for verbs. And there are six main tenses: remote future, near future, present, today past, recent past, and remote past. Some dialects even have a "last night" tense!

Sign Language

The people of the Torres Strait Islands, along with nearby Papuan and Australian groups, share a common sign language. While it's not as complex as some fully developed sign languages, it's used for simple conversations and telling stories. It has also influenced the Far North Queensland Indigenous Sign Language.

Images for kids

• 

  Range of Kalau Lagau Ya (orange) in the Torres Strait

• 

  Languages used at home by Torres Strait Islanders in localities with significant share of Torres Strait islander population.