Endangered Languages and Cultures

Seeking your help with tool development

1 May 201527 March 2015 by Nick Thieberger

We are in the process of identifying gaps in tools for fieldwork and data analysis that can be filled as part of the Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language. I’d like to ask for your input into the requirements for a metadata entry tool. In part, this analysis asks for your opinions on … Read more

Grammar writing: where are we now?

1 May 201527 February 2015 by Nick Thieberger

Ruth Singer recaps last week’s Linguistics in the Pub, a monthly informal gathering of linguists in Melbourne to discuss topical areas in our field.

Linguistics in the Pub on Tuesday the 24th of February, 2015 centred around the theme: grammar writing. Harriet Sheppard (Monash University) led the discussion. The announcement and short background reading are here.

The descriptive grammar although often reported to be dead is a form of scholarship that is still very much alive. And although e-grammars are said to be the way of the future, most grammars still take the form of a hard copy, whether it is a PhD thesis or published book. The discussion in this session of linguistics in the pub was kicked off with a discussion of the article by Ulrike Mosel cited below, part of a special publication of LDC on grammar writing.

IML Day – and mother tongue/script monuments

21 February 2015 by Jane Simpson

It’s International Mother Language Day, and Canberra’s celebrations can be seen here from the ABC. So.. the mother language whose defence led to the choice of 21 February for the day: and the second Shaheed Minar monument in Dhaka: And the Afrikaans Language monument: And a mother script – image from Armenians celebrating IML Day: … Read more

Bilingual education coordinator – NT DEADLINE Australia Day

25 January 201520 January 2015 by Jane Simpson

The Northern Territory Government is advertising a three year position to coordinate bilingual education in the Northern Territory. Advertised for one week only in the Northern Territory Government Gazette – but apparently that’s standard. Deadline Australia Day 26 January..

A good person in this position could do wonderful things, but they will have to contend with some history.

JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title: Principal Coordinator Bilingual Education
Designation: Senior Teacher 4
Work Unit: School Education
Position Number: 35174
Responsible To: Executive Director, Schools North

Primary Objective
The Principal Coordinator Bilingual Education is the department’s officer responsible for the overall co-ordination and strategic leadership of bilingual education in the Northern Territory and is tasked with leading the development of a strategic framework for bilingual education in the Territory.

LAAL looking for a linguist

25 January 201519 January 2015 by Jane Simpson

Message
The Living Archive of Aboriginal Languages is looking to work with someone to help establish a network of academics involved in teaching and researching Australian languages, to facilitate research which involves collaborations with language owners through the archive in undergraduate teaching and postgraduate research. Expressions of interest information is available on the website:

Possible tasks may include the following:

Bring together a network of academic linguists (including possibly internationally) interested in using the Living Archive for teaching or research
Audit degrees and courses which could possibly engage with (or contribute) texts and collaborate with their owners
Read more

NSW Aboriginal Languages in schools

9 January 2015 by Jane Simpson

Just came across this (thanks John Hobson!) From NSW Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards (BOSTES) Attention: Teachers of NSW Aboriginal Languages BOSTES has commenced the development of a Stage 6 Aboriginal Languages Content Endorsed Course (CEC): The course will contribute to the pattern of study requirements for the Higher School Certificate (HSC) and … Read more

Dry-dock launch of ‘Kochlinger’

14 December 201413 December 2014 by Jane Simpson

On Thursday I had a most pleasurable time launching a new book on Australian languages and linguistics at the terrific annual conference of the Australian Linguistics Society in Newcastle (thanks Newcastle organisers!). Here goes for ALS’s first ever dry-dock launch… for Harold Koch and Rachel Nordlinger’s co-edited book (2014) The languages and linguistics of Australia: a comprehensive guide.

Australia has a long and interesting history of developing new kinds of books about language areas. In the nineteenth century we had compendia of vocabularies across Australia or parts – by Edward Curr (Curr, 1887), George Taplin (Taplin, 1879) and Robert Brough-Smyth (Smyth, 1876). This was followed in the early twentieth century by Wilhelm Schmidt’s pan-Australia classificatory work (Schmidt, 1919), and later Arthur Capell’s new approach to Australian linguistics (Capell, 1956). Then Norman Tindale produced his map and bibliography in 1974 (Tindale, 1974). In 1976 Dixon edited a collection of papers by lots of different linguists addressing the same grammatical topics (Robert M.W. Dixon, 1976). A flurry of different types of books appeared in the 1980s—from R M W Dixon and Barry Blake’s editing of short grammar handbook series (e.g. Dixon and Blake, 1983), the handbook series for geographic areas with vocabularies and bibliographies which Jim Wafer initiated (e.g. Menning and Nash, 1981). Then there were overview books (Blake, 1987; Dixon, 1980; Yallop, 1982). In 1993 Michael Walsh and Colin Yallop produced their edited collection of chapters on different topics in Indigenous languages (Walsh and Yallop, 1993). That book became the mainstay of courses on Aboriginal languages and was affectionately known as ‘Wallop’.

Introducing CLIP: Canberra Linguistics in the Pub

1 May 201513 November 2014 by Jane Simpson

[note: we expect a better gender balance in 2014]

Canberra Linguistics in the Pub [from Piers Kelly]

7.45pm, Sunday 23 November 2014

The Castle Room, King O’Malley’s 131 City Walk, Canberra.

No need to register but it may be helpful to click ‘join’ on this page so we get a sense of numbers. We already have a great bunch of interstate and international language people coming so it promises to be fun.

Depopulating remote Australia

13 December 201412 November 2014 by Jane Simpson

In 2006 shifts in government policy caused me to write a a post about the likely effect on remote communities. It ended:

Why does the Government want Aborigines off Aboriginal land? Some probably believe the story that moving to town will make Aborigines ‘fit in’ better with other Australians. But it’s hard to forget that once Aborigines are off their own land, it will be much easier for others to get access to the land. Develop it, mine it, bulldoze it, oh whatever. And the royalties the Aborigines receive will go to pay for patching up the fringe camp societies.

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Issues in the documentation of newer language varieties

29 October 20155 November 2014 by rsinger

Jonathan Schlossberg recaps last week’s Linguistics in the Pub, a monthly informal gathering of linguists in Melbourne to discuss topical areas in our field.

Linguistics in the Pub on Wednesday 29^th of October, 2014 centred around the theme: Issues in the documentation of newer varieties. Felicity Meakins (University of Queensland) led the discussion. The announcement and short background reading are here.

This session marked the 5^th anniversary of Linguistics in the Pub. Organiser Ruth Singer would like to extend a thank you very much to all participants, including ‘retired’ co-organiser Lauren Gawne. Lauren’s gap has been partly filled by the Monash PhD students coalition: Harriet Shepard, Jonathon Lum, Alan Ray and Jonathan Schlossberg (University of Newcastle) will be co-organising when they are not in the field. Interstate/international visitors – don’t forget let me know when you’re coming to Melbourne so we can have you along too!