Gubbi Gubbi, also spelt Kabi Kabi, is a language of Queensland in Australia, formerly spoken by the Kabi Kabi people of South-east Queensland. The main dialect, Gubbi Gubbi, is extinct, but there are still 24 people with knowledge of the Butchulla dialect (also spelt Batjala, Batyala, Badjala, and variants), a language spoken by the Butchulla people of K'gari (Fraser Island).

Language status

The main dialect is extinct, but there were still 24 people with knowledge of the Butchulla dialect (a language spoken by the Butchulla people of K'gari formerly known as Fraser Island) as of the 2016 Australian census.

Phonology

The following is in the Butchulla dialect:

Consonants

LabialDentalAlveolarRetroflex/ PalatalVelar
Stopplainbd̪~ɟdɡ
tensepːd̪ːkː
Nasalmn̪nŋ
Laterall
Rhoticrɻ
Approximantwj
  • /n̪/ always becomes palatal [ɲ] when preceding /i/, and in word-final position.
  • /d̪/ is in free variation with palatal [ɟ].
  • /bd̪ɡ/ can have lenited allophones [βðɣ] in intervocalic positions.
  • /ɻ/ has a lateral allophone of [ɭ] when preceding /b/.
  • /ɡ/ is often slightly palatalised as [ɡʲ] before /i/.

Vowels

FrontBack
Highi iːu uː
Midɛ ɛː
Lowa aː
  • /aː/ can sometimes be heard as [æː] before /l/.
  • /u/ can be heard as [ɔ] when preceding an intervocalic /ɻ/.

Lexicon

According to Norman Tindale (1974), the word Kabi (['kabi]), means "no".

Wunya ngulum means "Welcome, everyone" in Kabi Kabi/Gubbi Gubbi.

External links

  • (PDF). aiatsis.gov.au. {{cite web}}:Cite uses generic title (help) Selected bibliography of material on Gubbi Gubbi / Kabi Kabi / Gabi Gabi language and people held in the AIATSIS Library
  • . Sunshine Coast Tourist Information Centre. Heritage of Kabi Kabi people – Sunshine Coast Tourism Information Centre
  • , State Library of Queensland. Digital story discussing the Badtjala dialect
  • , State Library of Queensland. Digital story discussing the Gubbi Gubbi language