Murrinh-Patha is an independent non-Pama-Nyungan Australian language. It could also be related to the Daly group. It is spoken around Wadeye (western coast of the Northern Territory) and along the Fitzmaurice River by more than 1500 speakers, including those people who use it as a second language. It is used as a lingua franca in the region where it's spoken, and is used as the medium of instruction the local bilingual education programme. It is also one of the few Aboriginal languages to have gained speakers recently.