Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Wartaman, Warduman, Wadaman, Wadderman, Wordaman, Waduman, Waderman, Warda'man, Wardman
CLASSIFICATION		Yangmanic
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		wrr
VARIANTS & DIALECTS		Yangman Dagoman
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search

Compare Sources (8)

Information from: “A grammar of Wardaman: A language of the Northern Territory of Australia” . Francesca Merlan (1994) Mouton de Gruyter

Severely endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available
30
Native speakers worldwide
SEMI SPEAKERS
<200
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
"I estimate there are 30 people aged 40 and above who live in and around Katherine, and regularly speak Wardaman to each other and to other Aboriginal people with whom they live... Additionally, there is a much larger number of people - possible numbering as many as two hundred - who understand Wardaman and consider hearing it spoken around them a regular feature of their lives."

DATE OF INFO: 1976-1978; 1988-1991

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

"Younger Wardaman people - in my observation, including at least everyone born after the Second World War - do not speak the language actively, but use at most the occasional word and phrase."

SPEAKER ATTITUDE

Positive

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Australian Kriol
other Aboriginal languages

PLACES: Northern Territory, Australia

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: "Wardaman people now mainly live around and in Katherine town, although some people who either identify themselves as Wardaman, or consider that identity a major component of their family background, live on stations and in other places in the Victoria River region (including Killarney, Kildurk, and Bulla Stations, Wave Hill, and Yarralin)."

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
50
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
Speaker number data: (Black 1983)

PLACES: Australia;

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Northern Territory, upper Daly River

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
50
Native speakers worldwide

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
50
Native speakers worldwide

DATE OF INFO: 1983

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
24
Native speakers worldwide

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
<50
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
"In 1983, perhaps fifty speakers were reported. The number of speakers is lower now."

DATE OF INFO: 1983

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
24
Native speakers worldwide

			2007	Australasia and the Pacific	Atlas of the World's Languages	97-126		R. E. Asher and Christopher Moseley	Routledge			4		Darrell Tryon	Tryon, Darrell. 2007. "Australasia and the Pacific." In Atlas of the World's Languages, edited by R. E. Asher and Christopher Moseley. 97-126. Routledge.		50	1983	10-99					Severely Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
		16	2009	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)				M. Paul Lewis	SIL International		Dallas, TX		http://www.ethnologue.com/		Lewis, M. Paul (ed.). 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16 edn. http://www.ethnologue.com/home.asp. (15 February, 2011.)	ll_pub	50		10-99	Speaker number data: (Black 1983)				Severely Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)				Australia;	Northern Territory, upper Daly River
			2011	How many languages were spoken in Australia?			Also includes subsequent additions by CB directly into ElCat						http://anggarrgoon.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/austlangs-masterlanguagelist-dec2011.xlsx	Claire Bowern	Claire Bowern. 2011. "How Many Languages Were Spoken in Australia?" Online: http://anggarrgoon.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/austlangs-masterlanguagelist-dec2011.xlsx.															-15.5306437,131.8788657
				Austlang: Australian Indigenous Languages Database					AIATSIS		Canberra		http://austlang.aiatsis.gov.au		AUSTLANG: Australian Indigenous Languages Database. (19 October, 2009.)	ll_pub	24		10-99					Severely Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
		3rd	2010	Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger					UNESCO Publishing		Paris		http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas	Christopher Moseley (ed.)	Moseley, Christopher (ed.). 2010. Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 3rd edn. http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas. (03 June, 2011.)	ll_pub	24		10-99					Severely Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
9783110129427	Mouton grammar library		1994	A grammar of Wardaman: A language of the Northern Territory of Australia					Mouton de Gruyter	11	Berlin, New York			Francesca Merlan	Francesca Merlan. 1994. "A Grammar of Wardaman: A Language of the Northern Territory of Australia." 11: Mouton de Gruyter.		30	1976-1978; 1988-1991	10-99	"I estimate there are 30 people aged 40 and above who live in and around Katherine, and regularly speak Wardaman to each other and to other Aboriginal people with whom they live... Additionally, there is a much larger number of people - possible numbering as many as two hundred - who understand Wardaman and consider hearing it spoken around them a regular feature of their lives."	<200	Australian Kriol, other Aboriginal languages	Positive	Severely Endangered (60 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	14	"Younger Wardaman people - in my observation, including at least everyone born after the Second World War - do not speak the language actively, but use at most the occasional word and phrase."	"Wardaman people now mainly live around and in Katherine town, although some people who either identify themselves as Wardaman, or consider that identity a major component of their family background, live on stations and in other places in the Victoria River region (including Killarney, Kildurk, and Bulla Stations, Wave Hill, and Yarralin)."	Northern Territory, Australia		-14.465267,132.246841
				World Oral Literature Project									http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.		50		10-99					Severely Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
			2007	Australasia and the Pacific	Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages	425-577		Christopher Moseley	Routledge		London and New York			Stephen Wurm	Stephen Wurm. 2007. "Australasia and the Pacific." In Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages, edited by Christopher Moseley. 425-577. Routledge.		<50	1983	10-99	"In 1983, perhaps fifty speakers were reported. The number of speakers is lower now."		Kriol		Severely Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)

Wardaman

Language metadata

Language information by source

Severely endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available

30

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

50

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

50

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

50

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

24

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

<50

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

24

Discussion

Wardaman

Language metadata

Language information by source

Severely endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available

30

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

50

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

50

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

50

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

24

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

<50

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

24

Discussion

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