Data collected by AUSTLANG

Data on the language

Alternatives names: Nuala, Noala

Classification: Pama-Nyungan language family, Ngayarta group

Area: Nhuwala is an aboriginal language spoken in Western Australia (WA): the coastal plain from around Cape Preston near the mouth of Fortescue River Southwest in a 40 strip about 40 miles wide (65 km) to a line running South from Onslow, but not extending to the Ashburton River, which is held by the Talandji (Tindale 1974).

According to Palmer in Sutton (1995:99), Nhuwala is spoken by a small group of speakers around Onslow.

Number of speakers:

The last known estimation of the number of Nhuwala speakers was given by Lynette Oates: in 1973, she estimated the number of speakers at under 20.

Vitality & transmission:

Presently, Nhuwala is “no longer fully spoken” (endangerment level 0), according to AUSTLANG.

Maps

Austin, Peter. 1988. Classification of southern Pilbara languages. In Papers in Australian Linguistics 17, eds. P Austin et al, 1-17. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.

Dench, Alan. 1995. Martuthunira, a language of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.

Sharp, Janet and Thieberger, Nick. 2001. Wangka Maya, the Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre. In Forty years on, eds. J Simpson et al, 325-335. Canberra Pacific Linguistics.

Tindale, Norman. 1974. Tribal Boundaries in Aboriginal Australia. Canberra: Division of National Mapping, Department of National Development.

Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre. 2001. Kariyarra wordlists & sketch grammar. South Hedland, WA: Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre.

Wordick, F. 1982. The Yindjibarndi language. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.

Links

Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre website: http://www.wangkamaya.org.au/

AUSTLANG website: http://austlang.aiatsis.gov.au/main.php

Ethnologue webpage: http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=nhf