Location: Grass Patch to north of Widgemooltha; east to the red ochre deposit approximately 15 km west of Fraser Range; west to Bremer Range; north of Norseman towards Coolgardie (Oates 1975).
1. Names of the language and different spellings that have been used:
Gala:gu
Kaburn
Kalaaku
Kalako
Kallaar (Brandenstein 1980)
Kallaargu
Marlba (O'Grady)
2. Classification of the language: Mirniny
O'Grady, Voegelin and Voegelin (1966) call Karlaku part of 'Kalaku- Mirniny' of the Nyungar group and say that Mirning is the eastern dialect, Karlaku the western dialect.
Identification codes:AIATSIS:A.02
Capell (1963):A.11
Oates (1975):55.1c
Brandenstein (1980) lists both 'Marlba' and 'Kallaargu' as separate dialects of one language, Ngatjunma. Morphy includes Ngatjunma as part of Karlaku.
3. Dialects of the language:
None known
4. Number and distribution of speakers:
None known
5. People who have worked intensively to record the language:
No one
6. Practical spelling system:
None in use (the Western Desert orthography would be suitable).
7. Word lists:
O'Grady (1959)
8. Texts:
None
9. Grammar or sketch grammar:
None
10. Language programmes:
None
11. Language learning material:
None
12. Literature in the language:
None
13. Material available:
(see section 5 (Bibliography) for annotations on the following works)
Bates, D.M. (n.d.43) Native vocabularies - Dundas and Norseman Magisterial District, typescript copy of MS, Section 12, 2C, ANL-MS365-47/2-26.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.48) Native vocabularies - Eucla Magisterial District, typescript copy of MS, Section 12, 2A, ANL-MS365-39/34-47.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.49) Native vocabularies - Eucla Magisterial District, typescript copy of MS, Section 12, 2A, ANL-MS365-39/50-120.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.50) Native vocabularies - Eucla Magisterial District, typescript copy of MS, Section 12, 2A, ANL-MS365-39/213-215.
Bates, D.M. (n.d.51) Native vocabularies - Eucla Magisterial District, typescript copy of MS, Section 12, 2A, ANL-MS365-39/293-298.
Brandenstein, C.G. von (1970b) 'Linguistic salvage work on the Eastern Goldfields and the South Coast of Western Australia' pp.45-49 in Bulletin of the International Committee on Urgent Anthropological and Ethnological Research, No.12.
Brandenstein, C.G. von (1970f) Report [to AIAS] on fieldwork conducted July- August 1970 as part of the 1969-70 project Western Desert Fringe study.
Helms, R. (1896) 'Anthropology', pp.237-332 in Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia Vol.16.
Morphy, F. (1985) Working notes on Western Australian languages. Part of an ARGS project directed by R.M.W. Dixon.
O'Grady, G.N. (1959) Significance of the circumcision boundary in Western Australia, BA thesis, University of Sydney .
Tindale, N.B. (1939e) Vocabulary no.99, Kala:ko, Australian vocabularies, MS.
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