Kayardild language facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kayardild |
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| Region | South Wellesley Islands, north west Queensland, Australia |
| Ethnicity | Kaiadilt, Yanggal |
| Native speakers | 8 (2016 census) |
| Language family |
Macro-Pama–Nyungan?
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| Dialects |
Kayardild
Yangkaal
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| AIATSIS | G35 Kayardild, G37 |
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Kayardild Traditional area
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Kayardild is a special language from the Tangkic family. It is spoken by the Kaiadilt people. They live on the South Wellesley Islands in north-west Queensland, Australia.
Sadly, Kayardild is a moribund language. This means it is very close to disappearing. In 2016, there were fewer than ten people who could speak it fluently.
Other languages in the same family include Yangkaal, spoken by the Yangkaal people. There are also Lardil and Yukulta (also called Ganggalidda).
Kayardild is famous for its unique grammar. It has unusual ways of adding endings to words. Sometimes, it can add many endings, one after another, to a single word! This is called case stacking. The language also uses special endings to show how different parts of a sentence connect. It even has "verbal case" endings. These can change a noun into a verb just by adding an ending.
