AIATSIS Code: D10
AIATSIS reference name: Wiradjuri [Comment]Comment: Wafer and Lissarrague (2008: 221-222) question whether Wiradjuri has always been used to refer to ‘the whole language spoken in the area from Dubbo and Mudge in the north almost to Albury in the south, from Bathurst in the east almost to Hay in the west’. They identify Wirraayaraay [D65*] as a related dialect, a northern dialect but leave the question whether Tindale’s Jeithi [D58*] refers to a separate dialect of Wiradjuri or not unresolved.
Status: Confirmed
[Name]Standard names used in different sourcesOther names/spellings used for this languageTindale (1974): Wiradyuri, Wiradhuri, Wiraduri, Wiradjeri, Wirra' jerre', Wiradhari, Wirra-dhari, Wirradhurri, Wirra-dthoor-ree, Wirraidyuri, Wirraddury, Wiraijuri, Wirraijuri, Wi-iratheri, Wirrathuri, Wiradthuri, Wiradthery, Wirathere, Wiratheri, Wiragere, Wuradjeri, Wira-durei, Wira-shurri, Wirradgerry, Weradgerie, Woradgery, Waradgeri, Wiratu-rai, Wiradurei, Wirrajerry, Weorgery, Woradjera, Woorad-gery, Woorajuri, Woradjerg, Weerarthery (said to be Ka-milaroi name), Wirotheree, Wiratheri, Wooratheri, Wooratherie, Wiiradurei, Wirra-dthooree, Warradjerrie, Waradgery, Wayradgee, Wirrajeree, Wirradjery, Wir-ra' jer-ree, Wirrai-yarrai, Wirrach-arree, Wiradjwri (typographical error), Warrai Durhai, Wirraidyuri, Kunamildan (of the Thaua, means 'come by night,' i.e., night raiders), Wagga tribe (a horde).
O'Grady et al (1966): Wiradhuri, Wiraduri, Wiradjeri, Wiradhari, Wirraidyuri, Wiratheri, Wirashuri, Werogery, Woradjera, Wordjerg, Wira-Athorree, Wirajeree, Wirraiyarrai, Wirracharee
Other sources: [Classification]AIATSIS classification (tentative): Pama-Nyungan
family Central NSW
group subgroup [Location]State: NSW
Location: On the Lachlan River and south from Condobolin to Booligal; at Carrathool, Wagga-Wagga, Cootamundra, Cowra, Parkes, Trundle; east to Gundagai, Boorowa, and Rylstone; at Wellington, Mudgee, Bathurst, and Carcoar; west along Billabong Creek to beyond Mossgiel; southwest to near Hay and Narrandera; south to Howlong on upper Murray; at Albury and east to about Tumbarumba. They visited Yass for ceremonies with the Ngunawal tribe. The northwestern boundary was incorrectly drawn on the 1940 map. Brough Smyth shows that members of the tribe were on the Murray River at Albury (Tindale 1974).
Maps: Tindale, Norman. 1974. Tribal Boundaries in Aboriginal Australia. Canberra: Division of National Mapping, Department of National Development.
Clark, Ian. 1996. Aboriginal languages areas in Victoria: a reconstruction. Melbourne: Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages.
Austin, Peter. 2008. The Gamilaraay (Kamilaroi) Language, northern New South Wales — A Brief History of Research. In Encountering Aboriginal languages: studies in the history of Australian linguistics, ed. William McGregor, 37-58. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
[Documentation]Documentation information is based on materials held at AIATSIS and also listed in OZBIB (a linguistic bibliography of Aboriginal Australia and Torres Strait Islands). Click 'Search MURA' and 'Search OZBIB' under the 'Resource' tab to view these materials.
Click here to read the details of documentation scoring system.
Documentation score (0-16) = 11
| Type | Documentation Status | Documentation Score |
|---|
| Word list | Large (more than 200 pages) | 4 |
| Text Collection | Small (20-100 pages) | 2 |
| Grammar | Small grammar (100-200 pages) | 3 |
| Audio-visual | 1-10 | 2 |
Manuscripts/field notes in the AIATSIS library: tape transcription/field note available
Grammar:Grant, Stan. 2001. Wiradjuri language: how it works: a grammar in everyday English. ACT: Restoration House.
Günther, James. 1838. Native dialect, Wirradurri, spoken in the Wellington district, microfilm.
Dictionary:Rudder, John Cornish. 2005. A first Wiradjuri dictionary: English to Wiradjuri, Wiradjuri to English and categories of things. ACT: Restoration House.
[Resource]Items on this languageSearch OZBIB Search MURA Search entries on this languageThere may not be an entry on this language in these sources
[Speaker]History of speaker numbers: Other: -
NILS language proficiency and usage scale: | 1-19 years | 20-39 years | 40-59 years | 60+ |
|---|
| 5 | 3 | 3.5 | 5 |
NILS endangerment Grade (0-5):
0
[Program]Past and current activities: Michele Herbert of Forbes North Primary School as been teaching Wiradjuri for several years (2006).
Kelso Public School received funding to teach Wiradjui language and produce language resource materials (2007).
Restoration House in Canberra have produced a number of language learning resources.
People who recorded or did research extensively: Tamsin Donaldson, Stan Grant, Dianne Hosking, Janet Mathews, Sally McNicol, John Rudder, Stan Grant Snr, Nyanda Ngudjuwa Aboriginal Corporation
Information as on DATE: 2010-07-30 14:02:02