Alf Palmer

{{Short description|Last known speaker of Warrungu}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Alf Palmer

| image = Alf Palmer.JPG

| alt =

| caption = Alf Palmer on Palm Island in July 1972

| native_name = {{lang|wrg|Jinbilnggay}}

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{circa|1891}}

| birth_place =

| death_date = {{death year|1981}}

| death_place =

| nationality =

| other_names = Jinbilnggay

| occupation =

| years_active =

| known_for = Being the last native speaker of Warrungu

| notable_works =

}}

Alf Palmer ({{circa|1891}}–1981), or {{lang|wrg|Jinbilnggay}} in the Warrongo language, was the last native speaker of the Australian aboriginal language Warrongo.{{Citation |last=Tsunoda |first=Tasaku |title=Preface |date=2011-12-14 |work=A Grammar of Warrongo |pages=v–vi |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110238778.v/html |access-date=2024-01-31 |publisher=DE GRUYTER |doi=10.1515/9783110238778.v |isbn=978-3-11-023876-1|url-access=subscription }} He lived in Townsville, Queensland, Australia.

He worked together with linguists Drs. Tasaku Tsunoda from Japan and Peter Sutton from Sydney, Australia, to preserve his language. He was anxious for his language to be preserved and repeatedly told Tsunoda, "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."{{Cite book |last=Tsunoda |first=Tasaku |url=https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/31654 |title=Language Endangerment and Language Revitalization: An Introduction |date=2006-02-21 |publisher=De Gruyter Mouton |isbn=978-3-11-089658-9 |pages=vii |hdl=20.500.12657/31654 |language=English}}