Gaagudju language

Gaagudju
Spoken in	Northern Territory
Extinct	May 2002 when Big Bill Neidjie died
Language family	Arnhem Land languages Gaagudju
Language codes
ISO 639-3	gbu

Gaagudju (also spelt Gagadu, Gaguju, and Kakadu) is an extinct Australian Aboriginal language formerly spoken in Arnhem Land, northern Australia, in the environs of Kakadu National Park. Its last speaker, Big Bill Neidjie, died on 23 May 2002.

Classification

Gaagudju has traditionally been classified with the Gunwinyguan languages. However, in 1997 Nicholas Evans proposed an Arnhem Land family that includes Gaagudju.

Phonology

Vowels

	Front	Back
High	i iː	u uː
Mid	e eː	o oː
Low	a aː

Consonants

	Peripheral		Laminal	Apical
	Bilabial	Velar	Palatal	Alveolar	Retroflex
Stop	p	k	c	t	ʈ
Nasal	m	ŋ	ɲ	n	ɳ
Lateral			ʎ	l	ɭ
Rhotic				r	ɻ
Semivowel	w		j

References

• Harvey, Mark (2002). A Grammar of Gaagudju. Walter de Gruyter. 

External links

• Ethnologue report for language code:gbu\
• AusAnthrop Australian Aboriginal tribal database