Talk:Mbabaram language

Is Mbabaram extinct?

Ethnologue says there were 2 speakers left in 1981. The article says the last native speaker died in 1972. Who's right? And if the former, are they still alive today? --Ptcamn 16:07, 14 December 2005 (UTC)

I believe the account in the article is the correct one. I think what's going on is that in 1981, Ethnologue consulted the literature to find out how many speakers there were, and at that time all the available literature was from before 1972. And since then, Ethnologue has not update its entry on Mbabaram. I'll poke around a little bit to be sure. I wonder if it would be inappropriate to ask Dixon; that might be a bit too much like Wikipedia doing original research. Thanks for adding the language box, Ptcamn! ACW 21:44, 14 December 2005 (UTC)

I don't think it's entirely accurate to say that Albert Bennett was the last speaker of Mbabaram. There are unpublished recordings of Alick Chalk at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies which were made in 1976 and 1977, well after Albert Bennett died. It is possible, I guess, that Chalk didn't speak the language "right through". The recordings of Chalk were made by Jim Archer and Robert Layton. This is my first go on Wikepedia, and I think I might have made an edit to hastily (removing reference in text part to Bennett being the last speaker). Sorry about that--I'll be sure to discuss stuff in the future! Txupitzin (talk) 03:32, 2 April 2009 (UTC)

I agree with Txuppitzin, my father Alick Chalk, a Mbabaram man, who grew up with Mr Albert Bennett in Irvinebank from 1901-1916 whenupon he and his sister were removed to Yarrabah, spoke Mbabaram as well as other languages and dialects was interviewed by Layton, Dixon and Archer. My father passed in May 1979, I am not certain he was the last speaker and don't profess he was. I certainly hope he wasn't.

Mr. Bennett's first name

Is it Arthur or Albert? Vanishing Voices: The Extinction of the World's Languages gives it as Arthur, and googling <"Arthur Bennett" Mbabaram> gets about 300 hits. But a 1966 journal article by Dixon gives his name as Albert, as does his book Memoirs of a Field Worker, at least as quoted by languagehat. <"Albert Bennett" Mbabaram> gets only 4 hits. --Ptcamn 05:09, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

Hi, I've listened to the tapes of Dixon interviewing Albert Bennett, and he is definitely Albert. I think people have since referred to him as Arthur in error, and the error has spread.Txupitzin (talk) 03:35, 2 April 2009 (UTC)

I am the grandson of Albert Bennett and to suggest that that his first name was Arthur Bennett indicates the lack of knowledge that the intial author of this article actually had. Maybe if some tapes or other documentation were to be produced by a member of the Chalk family, to validate the claim that Mr Chalk was indeed the last speaker of the Mbarbrm language, then maybe they should be produced, otherwise cease these unfounded claims.

It is apparent that there are many people who claim to be experts on Mbarbram history who actually have not no idea they are talking about. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 192.148.117.99 (talk) 11:23, 26 September 2011 (UTC)