# Lower Burdekin languages

The Lower Burdekin languages were probably three distinct Aboriginal languages, or alternatively dialects of a single language, spoken around the mouth of the Burdekin River in north Queensland. One short wordlist in each was collected in the 19th century, and published in the second volume of The Australian Race in 1886. These languages have since gone extinct, with no more having been recorded. Due to the paucity of the available data, almost nothing of their grammatical structure is known.
The O'Connor language goes by the name Yuru, and may have been Dyirbalic; others may have been Maric. However, Breen analysed two of the lists and concluded that they were different languages, neither Maric. He presumes that one of them was Bindal.

## Wordlist

| English gloss | Cunningham vocabulary | Gorton vocabulary | O'Connor vocabulary (Yuru) |
| Kangaroo | hoora | wootha | arragoo |
| Opossum | moonganna | goong | onehunger |
| Tame dog | oogier | minde | oodoodoo |
| Emu | kowwerra | goondaloo | karboonmillery |
| Black duck | yammooroo | buggininulli | hoorooburry |
| Wood duck | mumboogooba | detto | culburh |
| Pelican | boloona | booloon | dooroomully |
| Laughing jackass | kowurgurra | kookaburra | karcoobura |
| Native companion | braroogan | buberenulli | kooroogowgun |
| White cockatoo | digooi | bugina | bunginna |
| Crow | wyaguna | wethergun | wombugah |
| Swan | woergerella | | |
| Egg | wyoorda | werroo | gunnoo |
| Track of a foot | dooigooburra | | yulmun |
| Fish | weenburra | kooia | weambura |
| Lobster | koongooya | goonaway | boogurrie |
| Crayfish | goombarroo | | inundah |
| Mosquito | kowearoo | dee | hoonhoono |
| Fly | karoovella | | nin |
| Snake | oongullab | wormbaloo | boongi (carpet) |
| The Blacks | murre | | dulgooh |
| A Blackfellow | | | dulgooh |
| A Black woman | wurrungooa | gungan | tudgegun |
| 2 Blacks | | | blarin dulgooh |
| 3 Blacks | | | wungoo dulgooh |
| Nose | urrooa | woodroo | wuneary |
| Hand | mobirra | mulbroo | wurrumby |
| One | warmina | | warrin |
| Two | blareena | bool | blarin |
| Three | kudjua | ka | wungoo |
| Four | kulburra | | murragi |
| Father | kiya | yaba, yabo | abah |
| Mother | younga | yanga | yunguma |
| Elder sister | kootha | | kooda |
| Elder brother | wabooa | | kudun |
| A young man | karrebella | thillagal | deebahgul |
| An old man | booingermunna | bunganan | nuganugamun |
| An old woman | boingergunna | bulnagun | bundeyun |
| A baby | mullererammoo | | cowla |
| A White man | yooarroo | | yuarroo |
| Children | erroomunna | | moolaramoo |
| Head | kurria | kabbon | karboyan |
| Eye | mudjura | deburri | deebara |
| Ear | awbilla | wobbilla | kungun |
| Mouth | da | yawirra | unga |
| Teeth | irra | woonung | dingull |
| Hair of the head | gunnarri | | targuinn |
| Beard | thungier | thungi | talba |
| Thunder | degoroo | digoro | burrahroo |
| Grass | wudthoor | quwytho | narahminie |
| Tongue | thullamia | | dulling |
| Stomach | bunboona | borlo | boonda |
| Breasts | woorga | wuggunna | dulnbinn |
| Thigh | toomburra | thoombur | duburrin |
| Foot | dingooburra | bulliger | dingooburra |
| Bone | bulbanna | | mimmoon |
| Blood | gwiburri | moondtha | queeberry |
| Skin | yoolanna | uline | mindeer |
| Fat | towie | koonoo, goomo | boongaroo |
| Bowels | gurroona | kullinga | yaboo |
| Excrement | goonna | goonna | guno |
| War-spear | nirremoo | woomburro | woolunbura |
| Reed-spear | wollaburra | | (none used) |
| Wommera or throwing-stick | birrana | | buddurrie |
| Shield | goolmurri | gooldinare | poodda poodda |
| Tomahawk | bulgooa | nubanin | oolun |
| Canoe | kobbetheba | bettel-bettel | karbeyal |
| Sun | burgorri | kartri | mulloun |
| Moon | bowarri | | waboonburra |
| Star | bunjoldi | tor, bangala | dirilger |
| Light | burgungubba | | baragunna |
| Dark | wooroowobba | moonoo | wulhurrie |
| Cold | didoora | detto | orbehgun |
| Heat | towarroo | | moondo moondo |
| Day | woorabunda | | unbur |
| Night | wooroonga | woormooga | |
| Fire | wygunna | booninin | neebull |
| Water | kowara | thoolanoo | dunjun |
| Smoke | toogar | | doongin |
| Ground | nannier | numera | dingur |
| Wind | quioona | queeyon | uinne |
| Rain | yoogana | broothi | marroo |
| Wood | doola | dulla | moora |
| Stone | burreea | burtheroo | bungil |
| Camp | yaamba | yamba | midera |
| Yes | yea | umba | yu yow |
| No | kurra | kateka | karbil |
| I | iyooa | | uda |
| You | yindooa | | ninda |
| Bark | bulgan | boogoo | bulgun |
| Good | | | boongoon |
| Bad | kooyooa | | diga |
| Sweet | kowangubba | | goondi |
| Food | igango | | dungee, ogoo |
| Hungry | nagnoora | kabbil | garoo |
| Thirsty | dthunginna | | armboo yulburana |
| Eat | igango | | dulgee ogoo |
| Sleep | boogoora | boogooroo | boog oggba |
| Drink | bithungo | bitthana | kudge ogoo |
| Walk | kunnaigo | | warin |
| See | timmi | thimmi | na |
| Sit | thunnango | thunara | duri |
| Yesterday | yambowerroe | | dirrierih |
| To-day | nilla | nilla | cudgin |
| To-morrow | burgenda | burringa | burrigunda |
| Where are the Blacks? | ondia murre? | | ulba dalgul? |
| I don't know | kurra mira | | carbilbrather |
| Plenty | qniarilla [sic] | | murrgi |
| Big | | wiarra | yunga |
| Little | wa-baw-au-boona | wabungam | arbooro |
| Dead | waulgoona | wolgoon | walgoon |
| By-and-by | thagoo | | boodinhi |
| Come on | kowa | | kooa |