kids encyclopedia robot

Karranga language facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Karranga
Karangpurru
Region Northern Territory, Australia
Ethnicity Karrangpurru
Extinct (date missing)
Language family
unclassified; likely Pama–Nyungan: Ngumbin
AIATSIS C33
Karranga language.png
Karranga (purple), among the non-Pama-Nyungan languages (grey)

Karranga (also known as Karrangpurru) was an Aboriginal language spoken in the Northern Territory of Australia. It was the language of the Karrangpurru people.

What is Karranga?

Karranga is a language that we don't know much about today. It is called an "unclassified" language. This means that language experts haven't been able to fully study it. They also haven't been able to clearly connect it to other language families.

Why is Karranga Unclassified?

One main reason Karranga is unclassified is because it is "undocumented." This means there aren't many written records of the language. There are also not many recordings of people speaking it.

A language expert named Patrick McConvell thought Karranga might have been a dialect of the Mudburra language. This idea came from people who said the two languages sounded very similar. However, without more information or recordings, it's hard to be sure.

The Importance of Documenting Languages

When a language is not well-documented, it can be at risk of being lost forever. Many Aboriginal languages in Australia are no longer spoken. This is why it's so important for experts to record and study languages. They try to learn about them from the last remaining speakers. This helps to preserve the history and culture of the people who spoke them.

kids search engine
Karranga language Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.