Bungandidj language


Bungandidj is a language of Australia, spoken by the Bungandidj people, Indigenous Australians who lived in an area which is now in south-eastern South Australia and in south-western Victoria. According to Christina Smith and her book on the Buandig people, the Bungandidj called their language drualat-ngolonung, or Booandik-ngolo. As of 2017, there is a revival and maintenance programme under way for the language.
Historical variants of the name include: Bunganditj, Bungandaetch, Bungadaetcha, Bungandity, Bungandit, Buganditch, Bungaditj, Pungantitj, Pungatitj, Booganitch, Buanditj, Buandik, Booandik, Boandiks, Bangandidj, Bungandidjk, Pungandik, Bak-on-date, Barconedeet, Booandik-ngolo, Borandikngolo, Bunganditjngolo, and Burhwundeirtch.

Phonology

Bungandidj phonology is typical of Australian languages generally, sharing characteristics such as a single series of stops at six places of articulation, a full corresponding set of nasals, laminals at all four coronal places of articulation and two glides. Extrapolating from historical written sources and knowledge of surrounding languages, Blake posits the following consonant inventory:

Consonants

Vowels

A poem

Smith, on pages 138–139, records a poem written in Bungandidj :
yul-yul, thumbal
kallaball, moonarerebul
nana nan molanin
korotaa, king nal
yongo birrit.