Umpila language facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Umpila
Northeastern Paman
Native to	Australia
Region	Cape York Peninsula, Queensland
Ethnicity	Umpila, Pakadji, Kaantju, Uutaalnganu (Kawadji)
Native speakers	12  (2005)aiatsis
Language family	Pama–Nyungan Paman North Cape York Umpila
AIATSIS	Y45 Umpila, Y211, Y169
Umpila is classified as Severely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
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The Umpila language is an Aboriginal Australian language. It is spoken in the northern part of Queensland, Australia, on the Cape York Peninsula. In 2005, only about 12 people spoke Umpila, mostly older adults. This means it is a very rare language.

Where Umpila is Spoken

The Umpila language group lives along the northeast coast of the Cape York Peninsula. Their land goes from Temple Bay in the north down to the Massey Creek area. It also stretches west towards the town of Coen. Most people who still speak Umpila or Kuuku Ya'u live in the Lockhart River Aboriginal Community. This community is located at Lloyd Bay.

Different Kinds of Umpila

Umpila is not just one language. It is a group of very similar languages or dialects. Sometimes they are called different languages, and sometimes they are seen as different ways of speaking Umpila.

Here are the main kinds of Umpila:

• Umpila (the main one)
• Kanju (also known as Kandju, Kaantyu, or Gandju)
• Kuuku-Yaʼu (also known as Yaʼo or Bagadji)
• Kuuku Yani (this one is no longer spoken)
• Uutaalnganu (this one is also no longer spoken)
• Kuuku Iʼyu (this one is also no longer spoken)

Sounds of Umpila

Just like English, Umpila has different sounds for consonants and vowels.

Umpila Consonant Sounds

Umpila has many consonant sounds. These sounds are made using different parts of your mouth.

Umpila Vowel Sounds

Umpila has fewer vowel sounds than English, but they can be long or short.

How Umpila Grammar Works

Umpila is an agglutinative language. This means it adds many small parts (suffixes) to words to change their meaning. It usually puts the subject, then the object, then the verb in a sentence. For example, "Boy ball hit" instead of "Boy hit ball."

One interesting thing about Umpila is how it shows who is doing what. It uses a "split ergative" system. This means that for nouns, it marks the subject of an action verb differently from the subject of a non-action verb. But for pronouns (like "he" or "she"), it uses a more common system.

Umpila Sign Language

The Umpila people also have (or used to have) a special way of communicating using signs. This is a signed form of their spoken language. It is an important part of the wider Far North Queensland Indigenous Sign Language system.

See Also

In Spanish: Idioma umpila para niños

• Avoidance speech