It includes much of the backcountry around the Paroo River, plus an area along Coopers Creek into Queensland and also through the Broken Hill district.

The name of the people and the language refers to the Paaka (Darling River, known today as the Darling-Barka).

Bowern (2011) lists Gurnu/Guula as a separate language, though Hercus includes it because of its almost identical vocabulary.

A 2012 report indicated that two people could speak the Darling language fluently,[7] while in the 2021 census, 111 individuals said they spoke Paakantyi at home.

[citation needed] Voiceless stops can also be heard as voiced [b, d̪, d, ɟ, ɖ, ɡ].