voke

Vokey is a distinctive Australian Aboriginal language used by the Kaanti people of Palm Island, Queensland. The language belongs to the Morning Bungal Bay Area of the Pama-Nyungan language family. Vokey speakers are mainly found within the Palm Island community, where the language has been spoken for centuries.

The Vokey language consists of various unique sounds and grammar structures. It has also been influenced by other languages, including English and other Australian Aboriginal languages. The language includes a system of intricate kinship relationships and a system of churinga (small effigy) giving to newborn babies from their totemic group.

Research on Vokey has shown that it is considered an endangered language, with elderly speakers passing it down to younger generations within the Palm Island community. This researched recorded data which can be compared with existing protocol for languages spoken in Australia.

Linguists have studied Vokey language both ethnographically and in its standardized form as referred to in multiple dictionaries of Australia. A comprehensive grammar and dictionary of the Vokey language is compiled by visiting linguists in 1985. The publication highlights the advance in linguistic research within indigenous Australia.