Olkol
Pama-Nyungan
Olkol is a Northern Paman Pama-Nyungan language of the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia, sister to Yir-Yoront and other Cape York Paman languages. Critically endangered with only ~50 fluent elderly speakers remaining; the broader Olkol community has shifted to English and Aboriginal English (Kriol-influenced). The Olkol traditional country includes the headwaters of the Coen and Watson Rivers in northern Cape York. Linguistically, Olkol shares classical Paman features (initial-dropping consonants, simple vowel system, ergative-absolutive alignment) with sister Northern Paman languages, but with distinctive vocabulary and minor phonological features. The Sutton 1976 Cape York Peninsula linguistic survey is the foundational documentation, supplemented by AIATSIS recordings.
Where it is spoken
87 core words in Olkol
Sources
Words compared
Compared with languages in the same classification: Pama-Nyungan
| Meaning | Olkol | Guugu Yimithirr | Yangkaal | Bukar-Sadong Bidayuh | Aari | Bonan | Proto-Koreanic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ok /ok/ | buurraay /buːraːj/ | nguku /ŋuku/ | umoʼ /umoʔ/ | noqa /noˈkʼa/ | sə /sə/ | *mɨr /mɨr/ |
| Fire | alhu /al̪u/ | yugu /juɡu/ | ngida /ŋida/ | apui /aˈpui/ | noha /noˈha/ | χal /χal/ | *pɨr /pɨr/ |
| Sun | ugnga /uɡŋa/ | ngalan /ŋalan/ | warrku /waɾku/ | batŭh andu /batəh andu/ | háy /haj/ | naraŋ /naraŋ/ | *hʌy /hʌy/ |
| Moon | oda /oda/ | giidha /ɡiːd̪a/ | waldarra /waldaɾa/ | bulan /buˈlan/ | arfi /arfi/ | sarə /sarə/ | *tʌr /tʌr/ |
| Star | el idnban /el ˈidnban/ | dawaar /dawaːɻ/ | miburlda thungalda /mibuɭda t̪uŋalda/ | bintŭʼ /bintəʔ/ | manka /ˈmanka/ | hotuŋ /hotuŋ/ | *pyər /pyər/ |
| Night | unyjir /uɲɟir/ | nilawudurbe /nilawudurbe/ | ngimi /ŋimi/ | bengaru /bəŋaru/ | tumi /tʼumi/ | sonə /sonə/ | *pam /pam/ |
| Mother | amadh /amad̪/ | ngamu /ŋamu/ | ngamathu /ŋamat̪u/ | andŭ /andə/ | inde /inde/ | amə /amə/ | *emi /emi/ |
| Father | ichadh /itʃad̪/ | biiba /biːba/ | kanthathu /kant̪at̪u/ | amang /amaŋ/ | baba /baba/ | abo /abo/ | *api /api/ |
| Daughter | uwadh /uwad̪/ | ngudhurr /ˈŋut̪ur/ | — | — | — | — | — |
| I | ay /aj/ | ngayu /ŋaju/ | ngada /ŋada/ | aku /aku/ | ita /ʔiˈta/ | bǔ /bǔ/ | *na /na/ |
| You | inag /inaɡ/ | nyundu /ɲundu/ | nyingka /ɲiŋka/ | amuʼ /amuʔ/ | ahna /ahˈna/ | ʨǐ /tɕǐ/ | *ne /ne/ |
| We | apul / anhdhan /apul / an̪d̪an/ | nganhdhaan / nganhdhanun /ŋan̪d̪aːn / ŋan̪d̪anun/ | ngakulda / ngalda /ŋakulda / ŋalda/ | ami /ami/ | wota /woˈta/ | bədə /bədə/ | *uri /uri/ |
| Name | ukal /ukal/ | gadil /ɡadil/ | nida /nida/ | ganan /ɡanan/ | naami /naːˈmi/ | narə /narə/ | — /—/ |
| Eye | ele /ele/ | miil /miːl/ | miburlda /mibuɭda/ | bateh /baˈteh/ | aafi /aːfi/ | nəduŋ /nəduŋ/ | *nun /nun/ |
| Tooth | algnga /alɡŋa/ | muliir /muliːɻ/ | damanda /damanda/ | jipeu /dʒipeu/ | achʼi /atsʼi/ | duŋ /duŋ/ | *ni /ni/ |
| Tongue | inhdhun /in̪d̪un/ | nganhdhaar /ŋan̪d̪aːɻ/ | jalngantha /ɟalŋant̪a/ | jeli /dʒeli/ | adim /adim/ | kalaŋ /kalaŋ/ | *hyəl /hjəl/ |
| Hand | anngul /anŋul/ | mangal /maŋal/ | — /—/ | tangan /taŋan/ | aani /ʔaːni/ | χar /χar/ | *son /son/ |
| Foot | ebmal /ebmal/ | dhamal /d̪amal/ | — | — | duuti /duːti/ | kual /kual/ | *par /par/ |
| Heart | orol onmon /oɻol onmon/ | dadhali /dad̪ali/ | — /—/ | sintung /sintuŋ/ | buudi /ˈbuːdi/ | ʥirgə /dʑirɡə/ | *mʌzʌm /mʌzʌm/ |
| Bone | elgnggel /elɡŋɡel/ | badhibay /bad̪ibaj/ | julda /ɟulda/ | turang /turaŋ/ | lefi /lefi/ | iasuŋ /iasuŋ/ | *spyə /spjə/ |
| Blood | olpong /olpoŋ/ | ganbi /ɡanbi/ | kandu /kandu/ | daya /daja/ | — /—/ | ʨisuŋ /tɕisuŋ/ | *pʰi /pʰi/ |
| Love | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Tree | uku /uku/ | yugu /juɡu/ | — /—/ | kayuh /kaˈjuh/ | ahqe /ahːˈqe/ | mutoŋ /mutoŋ/ | *namʌk /namʌk/ |
| Dog | uta /uta/ | gudaa /ɡudaː/ | — /—/ | kasung /kasuŋ/ | aksi /ˈʔaksi/ | noɢoi /noɢoi/ | — /—/ |
| Cat | odhog /od̪oɡ/ | buthigan /but̪iɡan/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Fish | uy /uj/ | guudyu /ɡuːɟu/ | yakuri /jakuɾi/ | ekan /ekan/ | toila /toila/ | ʥilɣasuŋ /dʑilɣasuŋ/ | *mɨrkoki /mɨrkoki/ |
| House | — /—/ | bayan /bajan/ | — /—/ | ramin /raˈmin/ | — /—/ | gər /ɡər/ | — /—/ |
| Eat | ichan /itʃan/ | budal /budal/ | — /—/ | maʼan /maʔan/ | — /—/ | nda- /nda/ | *mek- /mek/ |
| Drink | — /—/ | dyidyal /cical/ | — /—/ | nyihŭp /ɲihəp/ | — /—/ | u- /u/ | — /—/ |
| One | enongg /enoŋɡ/ | nubuun /nubuːn/ | — /—/ | indi /indi/ | wollaq /ˈwolːakʼ/ | nəgə /nəɡə/ | *hʌnah /hʌnah/ |
| Two | uchir /utʃir/ | gudhiirra /ɡud̪iːra/ | kiyarrngka /kijaɾŋka/ | duɔh /duɔh/ | qasken /kʼasˈken/ | ɢuar /ɢuar/ | *tur /tur/ |
| Three | errab /erab/ | gundu /ɡundu/ | — /—/ | taruh /taːruh/ | makken /makːen/ | ɢuraŋ /ɢuraŋ/ | *seyh /sejh/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Good | olong /oloŋ/ | dabaar /dabaːɻ/ | — /—/ | paaguh /paːɡuh/ | laqami /lakʼaˈmi/ | saŋ /saŋ/ | — /—/ |
| Red | elbmbelbmben /elbmbelbmben/ | diini /diːni/ | kandukandu /kandukandu/ | bidayak /bidajak/ | zeymi /zejˈmi/ | fulaŋ /fulaŋ/ | *pɨrk /pɨrk/ |
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