Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Kala Yagaw Ya, Yagar Yagar, Mabuiag, Kala Lagau Langgus, Langus, West Torres
CLASSIFICATION		Pama-Nyungan
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		mwp
VARIANTS & DIALECTS		Kalaw Kawaw Ya (Saibai dialect: kala1378) Mabuyag Kulkalgau Ya Kawrareg
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search

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Information from: “Kalaw Kawaw Ya (Saibai Island, Western Torres Strait Islands, Australia) - Language Snapshot” . Alistair Harvey (2021) , Peter K. Austin · ELPublishing

Severely endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
approximately 900
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
1300

DOMAINS OF USE

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

Cultural stories and songs are predominately transmitted in KKY, and passing elders mean a loss of knowledge and wisdom for the remaining community members.

SPEAKER ATTITUDE

The strongest speakers are senior Saibaians; young people speak Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) and/or Australian English. There are continuing efforts to revitalise KYY.

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole)
Australian English

PLACES: three most northerly Western Torres Strait Islands of Saibai, Boigu, Dauan; and in Bamaga and Seisia, Northern Cape York Peninsula; Australia

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
930
Native speakers worldwide

DATE OF INFO: 1996 (census)

PLACES: Australia;

Endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
~4,000
Native speakers worldwide

DOMAINS OF USE

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

"Outside the Kala Lagaw Ya language area, those younger than thirty are likely to speak Torres Strait Creole. Kala Lagaw Ya is now potentially endangered."

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Torres Strait Creole

PLACES: Australia: Insular northern Queensland, western Torres Strait Islands.

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: "There are about 4,000 or so fluent speakers in the Torres Strait area. Others have moved to the Queensland mainland, particularly to cities such as Townsville and Brisbane."

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
700
Native speakers worldwide

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
~1500
Native speakers worldwide

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

PLACES: Australia

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Saibai Island, Dauan Island, Boigu Island, Bamada

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
3,500
Native speakers worldwide

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
1,216
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
AUSTLANG lists the variety Kalaw Kawaw Ya as also having 1216 speakers.

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
3,000-4,000
Native speakers worldwide

DATE OF INFO: 1990

MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
Speaker numbers vary extensively for this language depending on whether the Western (and Central) Torres language is counted as a single language, or whether different numbers of speakers are given for Kalaw Kawaw Ya and Kala Lagaw Ya. There is a sizable ex-pat community in Brisbane and they are working on a language program. The language transmission is fragile, but speakers are strong. Younger speakers are texting in the language, for example.

				2007	Australasia and the Pacific	Atlas of the World's Languages	97-126		R. E. Asher and Christopher Moseley	Routledge				4			Darrell Tryon	Tryon, Darrell. 2007. "Australasia and the Pacific." In Atlas of the World's Languages, edited by R. E. Asher and Christopher Moseley. 97-126. Routledge.			3,000-4,000	1990	1000-9999				Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
ISSN: 1740-6234	Language Snapshots	June		2021	Kalaw Kawaw Ya (Saibai Island, Western Torres Strait Islands, Australia) - Language Snapshot				Peter K. Austin	ELPublishing	Language Documentation and Description					http://www.elpublishing.org/docs/1/20/ldd20_06.pdf	Alistair Harvey	Harvey, Alistair. 2021. Kalaw Kawaw Ya (Saibai Island, Western Torres Strait Islands, Australia) - Language Snapshot. Language Documentation and Description 20, 75-85. http://www.elpublishing.org/PID/228		1300	approximately 900		100-999		Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole), Australian English	The strongest speakers are senior Saibaians; young people speak Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) and/or Australian English. There are continuing efforts to revitalise KYY.	Severely Endangered (100 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	13	Cultural stories and songs are predominately transmitted in KKY, and passing elders mean a loss of knowledge and wisdom for the remaining community members.	14	13	three most northerly Western Torres Strait Islands of Saibai, Boigu, Dauan; and in Bamaga and Seisia, Northern Cape York Peninsula; Australia		-9.2348, 142.4155
			16	2009	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)				M. Paul Lewis	SIL International		Dallas, TX				http://www.ethnologue.com/		Lewis, M. Paul (ed.). 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16 edn. http://www.ethnologue.com/home.asp. (15 February, 2011.)	ll_pub		930	1996 (census)	100-999				Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)					Australia;
				2011	How many languages were spoken in Australia?			Also includes subsequent additions by CB directly into ElCat								http://anggarrgoon.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/austlangs-masterlanguagelist-dec2011.xlsx	Claire Bowern	Claire Bowern. 2011. "How Many Languages Were Spoken in Australia?" Online: http://anggarrgoon.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/austlangs-masterlanguagelist-dec2011.xlsx.						Speaker numbers vary extensively for this language depending on whether the Western (and Central) Torres language is counted as a single language, or whether different numbers of speakers are given for Kalaw Kawaw Ya and Kala Lagaw Ya. There is a sizable ex-pat community in Brisbane and they are working on a language program. The language transmission is fragile, but speakers are strong. Younger speakers are texting in the language, for example.
					Austlang: Australian Indigenous Languages Database					AIATSIS		Canberra				http://austlang.aiatsis.gov.au		AUSTLANG: Australian Indigenous Languages Database. (19 October, 2009.)	ll_pub		1,216		1000-9999	AUSTLANG lists the variety Kalaw Kawaw Ya as also having 1216 speakers.			Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
				1991	A sketch of Kalaw Kawaw Ya	Language in Australia	118-142		S. Romaine	Cambridge University Press							Ford, Kevin and Ober, Dana	Kevin Ford and Dana Ober. 1991. "A Sketch of Kalaw Kawaw Ya." In Language in Australia, edited by S. Romaine. 118-142. Cambridge University Press.	HHOLD		~1500		1000-9999		Torres Strait Creole (Broken), English, Meriam Mer		Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)					Australia	Saibai Island, Dauan Island, Boigu Island, Bamada	-9.398936,142.683256
				2012	LL-MAP (Language and Location: A Map Accessibility Project)								Institute for Language Information and Technology		Eastern Michigan University	http://llmap.org	Anthony Aristar and Helen Aristar-Dry and Yichun Xie	Anthony Aristar, Helen Aristar-Dry and Yichun Xie. 2012. "LL-MAP (Language and Location: A Map Accessibility Project)." Online: http://llmap.org.																-10.156694,142.282428
			3rd	2010	Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger					UNESCO Publishing		Paris				http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas	Christopher Moseley (ed.)	Moseley, Christopher (ed.). 2010. Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 3rd edn. http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas. (03 June, 2011.)	ll_pub		700		100-999				Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
					World Oral Literature Project											http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.			3,500		1000-9999				Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
070071197X		3	1	2007	Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages					Routledge		Abingdon					Christopher Moseley	Moseley, Christopher. 2007. Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages, 1 edn. Abingdon: Routledge. ISBN 070071197X	ll_pub		~4,000		1000-9999		Torres Strait Creole		Endangered (100 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	13	"Outside the Kala Lagaw Ya language area, those younger than thirty are likely to speak Torres Strait Creole. Kala Lagaw Ya is now potentially endangered."	13	12	Australia: Insular northern Queensland, western Torres Strait Islands.	"There are about 4,000 or so fluent speakers in the Torres Strait area. Others have moved to the Queensland mainland, particularly to cities such as Townsville and Brisbane."

Kalaw Kawaw Ya

Language metadata

Language information by source

Severely endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

approximately 900

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

930

Endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~4,000

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

700

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~1500

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

3,500

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

1,216

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

3,000-4,000

Discussion

Kalaw Kawaw Ya

Language metadata

Language information by source

Severely endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

approximately 900

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

930

Endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~4,000

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

700

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~1500

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

3,500

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

1,216

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

3,000-4,000

Discussion

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Sources of information

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