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The Ritharnggu language (Ritharrŋu, Ritharngu, Ritarungo) is an Australian Aboriginal language of the Yolŋu language group, spoken in Australia's Northern Territory.

Dialects align with the two kinship moieties of the Ritharrngu people, one of several Yolngu peoples: (a) Ritharnggu (Yirritja moiety), and (b) Wagilak language (Dua moiety). The Manggurra (the other Dua clan) now speak Ritharnggu, but apparently shifted from Nunggubuyu.

Language revival

As of 2020, Wägilak/Ritharrŋu is one of 20 languages prioritised as part of the Priority Languages Support Project, being undertaken by First Languages Australia and funded by the Department of Communications and the Arts. The project aims to "identify and document critically-endangered languages — those languages for which little or no documentation exists, where no recordings have previously been made, but where there are living speakers".

Grammar

Ritharnggu has a split ergativity system. Pronouns use nominative/accusative alignment, humans and higher animals a tripartite system, and everything else ergative/absolutive.

References

1. "SBS Australian Census Explorer". Retrieved 16 December 2023.
2. N104 Ritharnggu at the Australian Indigenous Languages Database, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
3. Dixon, R. M. W. (2002). Australian Languages: Their Nature and Development. Cambridge University Press. p. xxxvi.
4. "Priority Languages Support Project". First Languages Australia. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
5. Heath, Jeffrey (1980). Basic materials in Ritharngu: Grammar, texts and dictionary. Pacific Linguistics, Australian National University. ISBN 0858832046.

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