Murrinh-patha language

Murrinh-patha
RegionWadeye, Northern Territory, Australia
EthnicityMurrinh-Patha, Murrinh-Kura
Native speakers
2,081 (2021 census)[1]
Southern Daly?
  • Murrinh-patha
Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-3mwf
Glottologmurr1258
AIATSIS[2]N3
ELPMurrinh-patha

Murrinh-patha (or Murrinhpatha, literally 'language-good'), called Garama by the Jaminjung, is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by over 2,000 people, most of whom live in Wadeye in the Northern Territory, where it is the dominant language of the community. It is spoken by the Murrinh-Patha people, as well as several other peoples whose languages are extinct or nearly so, including the Mati Ke and Marri-Djabin. It is believed to be the most widely spoken Australian Aboriginal language not belonging to the Pama-Nyungan language family.

  1. ^ "SBS Australian Census Explorer". Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  2. ^ N3 Murrinh-patha at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies