Kuuk Thaayorre language
Kuuk Thaayorre (Thayore) is a Paman language spoken in the settlement Pormpuraaw on the western part of the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland in Australia by the Thaayorre people. As of 2006, 250 of the 350 ethnic Thaayorre spoke the language. It is in a robust position compared to many indigenous Australian languages, as it is still being acquired by children and used in daily interaction.
| Kuuk Thaayorre | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Australia |
| Region | Cape York Peninsula, Queensland |
| Ethnicity | Thaayorre |
Native speakers | 174 (2021 census) |
Pama–Nyungan
| |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | thd |
| Glottolog | thay1249 |
| AIATSIS | Y69 |
| ELP | Kuuk Thaayorre |
Kuuk Thaayorre is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
It is closely related to the Ogh-Undjan and more distantly related to the Uw languages, Uw Olkola. Kuuk Yak is either a dialect or closely related.
Speakers of the Kuuk Thaayorre language are able to recall the names of a couple of dialects, such as Kuuk Thaayunth, Kuuk Thayem and Kuuk Thanon, but today there is only little dialectal difference and the language has become more uniform as the number of speakers has gone down. The so-called Kuuk Yak language may be a dialect of Kuuk Thaayorre, but may be a closely related language as well. Barry Alpher is currently trying to document the language in order to understand its genetic affiliation.