Ngiyambaa | |
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Region | New South Wales |
Native speakers
|
2 (2005) |
Pama–Nyungan
|
|
Dialects |
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Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 |
|
Glottolog | wang1291 |
AIATSIS | D22 |
The Ngiyambaa language is a Pama–Nyungan language of the Wiradhuric subgroup. It was the traditional language of the Wangaaybuwan and Wayilwan peoples of New South Wales, Australia, but is now moribund; according to Donaldson by the 1970s there were only about ten people fluent in Wangaaybuwan, whilst there were only a couple of Wayilwan speakers left.
Ngiyambaa (meaning language), or Ngiyambaambuwali, was also used by the Waangaybuwan and Wayilwan to describe themselves, whilst 'Waangaybuwan' and 'Wayilwan' (meanining 'With Waangay/Wayil' (for 'no') were used to distinguish both the language and the speakers from others who did not have wangaay/wayil for no.
Other names for Ngiyambaa are: Giamba, Narran, Noongaburrah, Ngampah, Ngemba, Ngeumba, Ngiamba, Ngjamba, Ngiyampaa, Ngumbarr; Wangaaybuwan is also called Wongaibon, and Wayilwan is also called Wailwan, Weilwan or Wailwun.