"Only a handful of elderly Marriammu people are strong speakers of the language, while the younger ones are talking the traditional language of Wadeye, Murrinh Patha. Many younger Marriammu people understand the language but cannot speak it. They are able to sing the ceremonial songs in Marriammu but very little else. One of the younger people I spoke to listens very carefully to his mother speaking Marriammu and is taking an interest in trying to learn to speak the language. [...] As far as the informants or anyone else is aware of, there are no children speaking the Marriammu language."

"The strong Marriammu speakers I contacted state they speak the language as much as possible. This is mainly when they are in the company of each other or when they are at the traditional homelands of Marriammu. They also speak it to their children who understand the language. [...] All informants that were spoken to feel that, unless something is done, the Marriammu language will eventually die out. As there are no younger people speaking the language, the elders state they would like to see the language kept strong."