Endangered Language Profile: The Ngan’gi Languages of Australia

Indigenous Australians who speak Ngan'gi Languages.  Pictured here are a group of men preparing to dance.

 

Presently, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognizes over 7000 languages spoken across the globe.  They also predict that half of these languages will be extinct by the end of the 21^st century.  There are various reasons for why certain languages go extinct, which in large part relate to power dynamics among social groups.  While some may not consider the endangerment or extinction of a specific language a big deal it actually is a sign that not only has a language disappeared but the culture and people associated with it.  This is why several people and organizations are working to preserve and revitalize endangered languages.  This, however, is not always easy, as the case study of the Ngan’gi languages of Australia demonstrates.

 

The Ngan’gi languages are spoken among Indigenous Australians in a small geographic region of Australia, specifically around the Southern Daly River.  There are several debates concerning these languages, however.  The first of which is how many native speakers exist.  According to some sources there are as many as 150 speakers, while others claim there are only 26.  The breadth of difference pertains in large part to how the languages are classified.  Some believe there are three distinct languages: Ngan'gikurunggurr, with the most speakers; Ngen'giwumirri, with less than 50 speakers; and Ngan'gimerri, which is extinct as there are no living speakers.  While it is clear that there are people speaking at least two of these languages the classification of these as languages is where much of the problem lies.  Some linguists believe that these are dialects, not distinctively different languages.  Depending on how one classifies them that affects not only the census counts but also how to move forward with revitalization efforts.

 

Revitalizations efforts are absolutely necessary because the Ngan’gi languages are critically endangered.  This means that there is only one generation of speakers, and once they are gone the language will be extinct.  None of the Ngan’gi languages traditionally have a written language, meaning they are passed down orally from one generation to the next.  This also makes it difficult to preserve the language since no written records means no one can learn them without direct contact with a native speaker.

 

Nick Reid, a linguist, has moved forward with some projects that he hopes will help preserve the language.  In the 1980s he created the first dictionary for the Ngan’gi languages, which has been refined slightly by two other individuals over the years.  In his dictionary he identifies phonological (sound) differences between the two spoken languages (Ngan'gikurunggurr and Ngen'giwumirri).  He has also identified differences in verb construction, with one language having more verb tenses than the other.  He has also documented other differences between the two languages, as well as provided instructions on how to pronounce the sounds within each language. 

 

All of this information is recorded and available to the public through the website he created.  There individuals can access the suite of information concerning the scholarly research on these languages, as well as the language learning tools required to speak it (as interested).  He has also provided videos of native speakers, who share cultural and personal stories with listeners.  It is unclear if this method has had much success among the communities wherein Ngan’gi languages are spoken, but it is a step in helping save this language from extinction.

 

Works Cited

Laliberte, Marissa. "The 15 languages that could soon be extinct." 15 March 2018. World Economic Forum. Electronic. 12 May 2026.

Reid, Nick. NGAN'GI LANGUAGE. 2018. Electronic. 12 May 2026.

—. Ngan'gikurunggurr, The Daly Languages (Australia). n.d. Electronic. 12 May 2016.