New Yagara Dictionary and Grammar Released

2024 saw a new Yagara language book released by the Australian National University. ‘Yagara Dictionary and Salvage Grammar’ by Karen Sullivan and Glenda Nalder.  

This book compares the written records of Aboriginal language around the Brisbane and Ipswich areas to facilitate revitalisation of the spoken language. It includes all known written instances of Yagara/Jagera/Ugarapul, including original spellings.

Back Cover: 

Most English speakers in Australia know a few words of Yagara, the Pama-Nyungan language traditionally spoken in the area that now includes Brisbane and Ipswich. For example, Australian English yakka ‘work’ comes from the Yagara verb yaga ‘to work’. However, no fluent native speakers of Yagara remain. The current volume compares the written records of Yagara to facilitate revitalisation of the spoken language. 

With over 1500+ words this book is one of the first to comprehensively collect local Yagara language words.  

Available on the ANU website at: https://press.anu.edu.au/publications/series/asia-pacific-linguistics/yagara-dictionary-salvage-grammar