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Session LRE3: Language revitalisation and education 3

1. M. Klesch, D. Smith-Ali, L. Spehn-Jackson & C. Sheratt: Mookaroo, djilba-k koorling – Noongar language revitalization

Full paper | Audio | Video | Slideshow pdf 983KB

Abstract

Noongar language revitalisation has taken a new breath of life in primary and secondary education, and the wider community. The growth of language classes and requests for language resources has strengthened in the community so that, corporate, community and educational organisations now request Noongar language classes. The presentation will critically review the growth of Noongar language and knowledge in formal and informal education programs, evaluate success factors and identify challenges for the future.

Author bios:

Maree Klesch has worked in Indigenous education for the past 30 years with much of this time being spent working with people from urban, rural and remote communities in the Northern Territory. Her experiences include, primary teaching, higher education in both-ways Indigenous remote teacher education, bilingual education, ESL, information technology in education and publishing Indigenous languages and teaching and learning resources. For the last five years Maree has worked as part of the Noongar and Wadeye language project teams to support language maintenance, revival and education.

Denise Smith-Ali is a Project Officer for Dandjoo Moordyap Darbakan - Noongar Language Project. Over the last five years she has worked in recording and documentation of ancestral knowledge and language for 13 the Noongar clan groups in the south-west region of WA. Denise has dedicated her recent working life to reclaiming and reviving Noongar language, the production of resources to support Noongar language education in urban and rural contexts, and supporting community awareness programs. Denise holds a Batchelor Of Arts (Language and Linguistics) and has been a member of local bodies supporting culture and language revival.

Lois Spehn-Jackson is a qualified teacher with experience throughout Australia and in a number of overseas countries where she has specialised in ESL and bilingual education. In 1992 Lois worked as part of the Ngarla Language team in the Pilbara, at a time when Aboriginal Languages were being trialed as LOTE programs in WA schools. In 1995 she was appointed as a Consultant with the WA Department of Education, to support the implementation of Aboriginal language programmes in schools in the Pilbara, MidWest, Metropolitan and Southwest Districts, a position she held until April 2009. From 1998-2008 Lois co-coordinated and co-facilitated the two-year Aboriginal Languages Teaching course. During these years the Noongar language experienced a revival and much time was spent working with Noongar Elders, language teachers and community members. In 2004/5 Lois worked with a panel to write the Senior Secondary Course for WA Aboriginal Languages, Noongar, Wajarri and Nyangumarta. Today Lois works as an independent Aboriginal Languages Consultant.

Coleen Sherratt started working at Queens Park Primary School in 1999 as an Aboriginal and Islander Education Officer. In 2001 she trained with the Department of Education & Training to become a Noongar Language Teacher graduating in 2002. Recently Coleen completed her studies at Curtin University where she graduated from the Bachelor of Education Conversion Course to start a career as a qualified teacher. Coleen is presently employed as the Noongar Language Teacher at Queens Park Primary School and the Aboriginal Languages Coordinator for the Department of Education and Training. In her role as language teacher she teachers’ students from year three to year seven and special needs students. The role of Aboriginal Languages Coordinator entails working with Aboriginal Language Teachers throughout the Midlands, Midwest, Metropolitan and South Western Districts. Since becoming a Language Teacher she has seen an increase in West Australian schools wanting Aboriginal Languages in their schools. The training has led to a revival within schools and communities.

2. Claire Bowern: From language description to language revitalization

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Abstract

In this paper I consider some issues involved in transitioning a project from one primarily focused on language documentation with the last fluent speakers of a language to one where the main constituency are heritage language speakers/owners, as is often the case in urban contexts. Although some work (e.g. Eira 2009) treats language documentation and revitalization as congruent activities, there are several ways in which the aims are either complementary or conflicting. Producing a lasting record of a language, with all its complexities and variation, does not automatically result in materials appropriate for language learners. Documentations often focus heavily on traditional culture and practices. While it may be important (to science, to elders, to communities) to make a record of that culture, tying a documentation to traditional practices alone may limit the appeal of learning the language; it may also create an artificial idea of who the real stake-holders in revitalization are and may disenfranchise urban or town-dwelling language owners. Conversely, documentation oriented solely towards the initial stages of revitalization has its own problems. Linguists with training in documentation are not usually trained in the production of educational materials; thus even projects which aim for community-oriented outcomes (rather than academic works) might not succeed in providing adequate revitalization materials. The early stages of revitalization need to be simple and straightforward, and they need to capitalize on what the target audience already knows. Salvage documentation that proceeds at this rate runs the risk of leaving a substantial proportion of the language unknowable. Finally, we should remember that language revitalization projects are not only about producing fluent language speakers; they are also closely tied to language politics and community and individual identity. Therefore to treat the two as identical may merely politicize the documentation process. How, then, should we proceed? How should we maximize the potential for documentation > revitalization transfer while avoiding the pitfalls mentioned above? First, have a good documentation. The most successful revitalization projects (for example, Kaurna, Miami, Hebrew, Maori) were based on sizable sets of language materials of good quality. Therefore one way the linguist can be an asset to a revitalization project is by making sure there is documentation available. Second, linguists should make all their materials available to the community – not just the finished analytical products, but as much of the primary materials as possible too (although with the recognition that there will be times when this is not possible). They should ensure that it is appropriately archived and that the metadata make it possible to find things in it. When planning documentation for revitalization, we should consider what’s feasible and possible; not all individuals in all communities go into a revitalization with the idea that they will become fluent speakers of their language. Thirdly, I suggest that where possible linguists involve potential revitalization figures in language fieldwork. More generally, I recommend that both communities and linguists think about what can and can’t be done without the help of fluent older speakers; what can be done without funding (see Bowern forthcoming); and how existing materials can be most usefully employed.

Author bio:

Claire Bowern is Assistant Professor of Linguistics at Yale University. She is a specialist in historical linguistics and language documentation, and has been working in Northern Australia since 1998. Her PhD thesis was on Bardi (spoken at One Arm Point and surrounding areas) and its verb system. As part of working on Bardi she has prepared several oral history collections, a dictionary supplement, and has
helped out with primary school materials. In 2004 she began working with Yan-nhaŋu speakers (Yolŋu, Arnhem Land) on language documentation. She is the author of a practical guide to linguistic fieldwork.

3. Nick Reid: English influence on the pronunciation of re-awakened Aboriginal languages

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Abstract

This chapter explores the influence of literacy and teaching by first language speakers of English, on the pronunciation of Aboriginal languages in the context of language re-awakening in NSW. Wherever languages are learned in the absence of a generation of first language speakers, we find that the learners’ first language will have a major impact – the linguistic resources that you have to build on play a strong role in shaping the new language that you acquire. This paper canvasses some pronunciation changes currently taking place in NSW in the context of revitalised learning. It raises the need for open discussion about the authenticity of ‘recreated’ languages, and argues that for recreated languages phonemic orthographies might not be the best choice. While this paper focuses on NSW, its arguments may be relevant to other parts of the country where ‘recreation’ type programs are underway.

Author bio:

Dr Nicholas Reid teaches linguistics within the School of Behavioural, Cognitive and Social Sciences at the University of New England, Australia. He has written a grammar of the two Northern Territory languages, Ngan'gikurunggurr and Ngen'giwumirri, and has recently completed the Ngan'gi Dictionary, covering both these languages, with the help of Patricia Marrfurra MacTaggart. Nick has a strong commitment to the preservation of linguistic diversity. He is actively involved in various language maintenance initiatives in the Daly River region, including heritage work on endangered song-language traditions in the community of Wadeye. He has run workshops for the NSW Board of Studies on developing orthographies for and writing NSW languages, and acts in an advisory capacity for various local language re-awakening projects.