Alf Palmer
Alf Palmer (* around 1891; † 1981 ), or Jinbilnggay in his mother tongue, was the last native speaker of the Warrungu , a language of Australian Aborigines . He lived in Townsville , Australia .
To preserve his language for posterity, he worked with the linguists Tasaku Tsunoda from Japan and Dr. Peter Sutton from Sydney , Australia . Careful that his language should survive, he said to Tsunoda several times, “I am the last one to speak Warrungu. When I die, language dies too. I'll teach you everything I know, so write it down in exactly the same way. ”( I'm the last one to speak Warrungu. When I die, this language will die. I'll teach you everything I know, so put it down properly. )
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Palmer, Alf |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Jinbilnggay |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | last native speaker of the Warrungu, an Australian Aboriginal language |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1891 |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1981 |