Kartu languages

The Kartu languages are a group of Indigenous Australian languages spoken in the Murchison and Gascoyne regions of Western Australia. They are thought to be closely related and to form a low-level genealogical group.

Geographic
distributionWestern Australia

Linguistic classificationPama–Nyungan

• Southwest
  • Kartu

Subdivisions

• Yinggarda
• Malgana
• ?Nhanda–Nhanhagardi
• Wajarri
• Badimaya
• Thaagurda †

Glottologkart1249

Quick facts Geographic distribution, Linguistic classification ...

Kartu
Kardu
Geographic distribution	Western Australia
Linguistic classification	Pama–Nyungan Southwest Kartu
Subdivisions	Yinggarda Malgana ?Nhanda–Nhanhagardi Wajarri Badimaya Thaagurda †
Language codes
Glottolog	kart1249
Kartu languages (green) among other Pama–Nyungan (tan). Wajarri is the southern and interior group.

Close

The languages usually considered to be members of the Kartu group are, from north to south:

• Yinggarda
• Malgana
• ? Nhanda (possibly also Nhanhagardi)
• Wajarri
• Badimaya

The inclusion of Nhanda is dubious. It was excluded in Bowern & Koch (2004),^[1] but retained in Bowern (2011).^[2] Thaagurda was apparently also a Kartu language.

The name kartu comes from the word for 'man' in one of the languages.^[specify] In some earlier work the word 'kardu' was spelled.^{[citation needed]}

The Kartu languages form a branch of the Pama–Nyungan family.^[2]