Q: I have visited the ASEDA web pages and was unable to find the
information I was looking for. I am hoping that you may be able to help
me.
A: If you have uncovered a navigational snag in the ASEDA
pages,
we would like to know so we can fix it. If it is because ASEDA
does not hold the information you see, see suggestions
below.
Q: Send me all your (Open) files, on X subject.
A: Please read the introductory ASEDA page, which asks "Please email or
write to request items, stating their code number and name. In
addition,
please state your affiliation and/or why you want the items."
Q: Why is access to some items restricted?
A: ASEDA does not determine the access conditions for deposited
materials. That is done by the depositor or author together with others
with an interest in the item, especially the people recorded. Any
change in depositor's access conditions requires the approval of the
depositor or author. See the
forms depositors fill out.
Q: Why do depositors restrict access to material?
A: There are a variety of reasons why a depositor might specify an
access restriction. The people they have recorded may specify
that they want their material kept safe, but not distributed.
Occasionally depositors restrict access for a limited time until they
have checked the material, to see if it is accurate enough for
distribution or publication — authors are concerned that inaccurate
information may take on a life of its own. Some information
(though only a small fraction of ASEDA holdings) is resctricted because
it is secret/sacred.
Q: Why do speakers restrict access to material in their languages?
A: Many speakers of endangered languages consider that their language
is their intellectual property, passed down to them from their
ancestors. If it is made freely available to others, then their
rights in that language can be diminished. Usually they do not
want strangers to use words and sentences of their languages in an
inappropriate way, and want to be consulted prior to public use.
Q: I can't read the file you sent me. When I click on it I get
an error.
A: This can happen because the file was created by an application
(program)
not on your machine. A lot of the files in ASEDA are plain text,
and for these your problem can be overcome simply by opening the file
from
within your text editor or word processing software (open your usual
word
processor, the under the File menu item choose Open and navigate to
the file. Other files are not plain text: some files were created
by Microsoft Word (in particular an earlier version such as Word 5 for
Macintosh) or
Nisus
or AppleWorks or something else. You can request that you be sent these
files in an interchange format (such as RTF).
Q: I have visited the ASEDA web pages and was unable to find the
information I was looking for. I am hoping that you may be able to help
me.
A: Your inquiry may not really relate to the limited tasks that ASEDA
does. You may find some relevant items online in two parts of The World Wide Web Virtual
Library: the Aboriginal Studies
WWW-VL http://www.ciolek.com/WWWVL-Aboriginal.html
and the Australian
languages WWW-VL
http://www.dnathan.com/VL/austLang.htm
The best library
relating to Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people is
the
AIATSIS Library and its catalogue is online.
Q: I am after any information I can get on Aboriginal names and
meanings.
Either reference material, books I can buy or whatever.
A: Macquarie Aboriginal Words, ed Thieberger & McGregor,
a paperback published by Macquarie Library, 1994.
Australian Aboriginal words in English : their origin and meaning,
by Dixon, Ramson & Thomas. Oxford University Press , 1992
These are available in many libraries and bookshops.
Also try references listed in the AIATSIS
Indigenous Languages Bibliography http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/library/subject_guides__bibliographies/language_bibliographies
Q: I think the word X comes from an Australian language (/the
Aboriginal
language/...) - can you tell me which one / what it means?
A: If English dictionaries near to hand do not answer this for you,
look the word up in the Australian National Dictionary (Oxford
University
Press, 1988) or Australian Aboriginal words in English : their
origin
and meaning, by Dixon, Ramson & Thomas (OUP 1992).
The ANDC has some information
on well-known words in Australian English from Aboriginal languages.
If the word is neither in general dictionaries, nor in these special
sources, then it would be interesting to hear about it. There are
over 300 Australian languages, and many of them have not been well
documented
so it is probably difficult to answer your query. Include details
of where you came across it, and why you think it is from an Australian
language; and rather than send your message to ASEDA, post it to the
distribution
list Australian-Linguistics-L@coombs.anu.edu.au
(archived at http://listserv.linguistlist.org/archives/australian-linguistics-l.html
Q: I would like to know the Aboriginal word for X
A: There are over 300 Australian languages (not dialects) so the
question
needs to be more specific. If you think X is a concept likely to
be lexicalised (expressed by a word) in Australian languages generally
(or of a particular region), for a start, you could try the English
index
to Macquarie Aboriginal Words, ed Thieberger & McGregor, a
paperback
published by Macquarie Library, 1994. If you want take this
further,
then we may be able to help researchers, time permitting.
Alternatively,
you could post your query on the distribution list Australian-Linguistics-L@coombs.anu.edu.au
(archived at http://listserv.linguistlist.org/archives/australian-linguistics-l.html)
Q: I would like an aboriginal word meaning 'rain forest' /
'fearless'
/... for my house/boat/dog.
A: ASEDA does not provide names / mottos, or advice on constructing
names, whether for pets, houses, boats, commercial products, musical
groups.
If you are in Australia, try contacting your local Aboriginal language
or culture centre, such as listed in FATSIL's National
Indigenous Languages Directory http://www.fatsil.org/links/nild.htm.
Q: A friend of mine is looking for an indigenous language that can
cover
the translation of "Preserving the Dreaming" / "Don't smoke"
/"scarcity"
/ "Come and visit Australia" -- can you help?
A: See previous answer.
Q: (a) How do I find out what language is spoken here?
(b) How do I find a speaker of X language?
A: This is not something ASEDA does. One way to start is by contacting
a local language organisation in your area. A good list of contacts is
in FATSIL's National
Indigenous Languages Directory http://www.fatsil.org/links/nild.htm
Another possibility is to try a geographic search in the AIATSIS
Library catalogue.
Q: I want to know more about endangered Australian languages.
(I am writing a magazine article / preparing a documentary proposal
/ writing a school report / a novel ...) I want information about the
language,
brief historical summary and, most importantly, information about
preservation
work and what, if any, the native speakers themselves are doing to
record
and preserve their language, and names of the main campaigners.
A: Basic information is available in various publications and to some
extent on the WWW. The best place to start is with the "WWWVL -
Aboriginal
Languages of Australia" at http://www.dnathan.com/VL/austLang.htm
Also, you could check any inquiry about endangered languages with the Endangered-Languages-L Forum archived at http://listserv.linguistlist.org/archives/endangered-languages-l.html
Q: I am currently undertaking a course majoring in Indigenous
studies.
This semester my focus is on Health/housing/education/... and how it
relates
to various theorists, I am also looking at issues pre 1788 and post. I
would appreciate any information that I can use.
A: Try a good library. The AIATSIS
Library catalogue can help you find works which you can then see if
whether your local library holds. Or see previous answer.
Q: I'd like to know the meaning of placename X.
A: This is not a service provided by ASEDA. Here are some hints for
doing it yourself, but be warned that it is time consuming tracking
down
the meanings of placenames, especially those of indigenous origin, and
calls for some linguistic expertise. First, check the official
records of the relevant State or Territory -- the information there
may be sufficient for your purpose. If you want to take the inquiry
further,
the important starting point is to find out the circumstances of the
first
written record of the name: who wrote down the name, what (s)he thought
the name referred to, and who told him/her the name. Then you can start
to look for meanings. However, beware! Most people who record
words
given to them by indigenous people don't transcribe sounds precisely,
so
that it is hard to work out what word was actually given to them.
Moreover,
early recorders often either did not ask for, or did not understand,
the
meanings of place-names. For tips for dealing with historical
manuscripts
see the handbook Paper and Talk: A manual for reconstituting
Australian
indigenous languages from historical sources, AIATSIS,1995. [Aboriginal
Studies Press listing]
The next step is to find out what languages are spoken in the area
where the placename was recorded, then consult a dictionary of that
language
and see if there is any information about the word. There's a
reasonable
chance that there won't be any -- some placenames are simply that,
names,
without necessarily having a 'meaning'.
Some Australian placenames from Indigenous languages are discussed
in Richard and Barbara Appleton's The Cambridge dictionary of
Australian
places,Cambridge University Press, 1992. A project
documenting
placenames of Indigenous origin in Australia has begun at http://www.anps.mq.edu.au
Q: Warning! Virus!
A: [not that people who broadcast these messages browse FAQs, but...]
This is probably a furphy or a hoax. Before sending out emails warning
of a virus you can check for accuracy at, for instance, the Symantec
Antivirus Research Centre http://www.sarc.com/ where you
search
their virus encyclopedia, or at Sophos
http://www.sophos.com/virusinfo/hoaxes/.
Ironically, the email you sent out is more of a virus than the thing it
warns against!
Send fixes to aseda@aiatsis.gov.au
URL http://www1.aiatsis.gov.au/ASEDA/faq.html