This is a comprehensive linguistic description of Kunbarlang (Gunbalang) a highly endangered
polysynthetic language of northern Australia. Kunbarlang belongs to the non-Pama-Nyungan
Gunwinyguan language family and is currently spoken by nearly 40 people. This work draws on
elicitations and analysis of narratives from the author's original field work (2015--2018) as
well as those from previous recordings. The main areas covered are the sound system morphology
syntax and aspects of lexical and constructional semantics. Dictated by the polysynthetic
structure of the language and the patterns of its use the principal focus of the work is the
analysis of the verbal complex and the interaction between the verb and other constituents of
the clause. The analysis strike a balance between taking into consideration the areal and
genetic context being informed by linguistic typology and theory yet at the same time
remaining data-driven and theory-neutral in the way generalisations are stated. Against the
Australian and a broader cross-linguistic background Kunbarlang possesses remarkable features
at all levels of its organisation.
