LECTURE/WORKSHOP:

Tuesdays 9.10am – 3.30pm (Barr Smith South, 534, Forum)

Wednesdays 9.10am - 3.30pm. (Barr Smith South, 534, Forum)

Thursdays 9.10am - 3.30pm. (Barr Smith South, 534, Forum)

1	Know where to access accurate, reliable and up-to-date information on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages.
2	Pronounce Aboriginal words written in established orthographies with confidence.
3	Engage with, read and make sense of the grammar of an Australian language.
4	Understand the nature of the relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages.
5	Apply linguistic analytical techniques and problem solving approaches to a body of language data drawn from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, thereby strengthening and developing linguistic skills and understandings.
6	Have a good linguistic foundation upon which to proceed with the learning and/or documentation of an Australian language.
7	Contribute to promoting understandings and appreciation of Australia’s unique linguistic heritage.
8	Understand the underlying causes of language loss in Australia and efforts to maintain and revive them.
9	Reflect on and write coherently about a range of issues confronting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages.
10	Appreciate the significance of Indigenous languages to their owners, speakers and custodians and implications for healing, health and well-being.

TEXTBOOK:

 SSABSA (1996) Australia’s Indigenous Languages. Senior Secondary Assessment Board of South Australia, Wayville. [book and accompanying CD]

(There are several copies of the text in the library and copies are available for loan from the Course Coordinator).



READING BRICK:

 A 2010 reading brick with key readings is downloadable from MyUni. A 2014 Reading Brick (with
many of the same readings as the 2010 reading brick) will be made available.

Highly Recommended:


Hobson,  John, Kevin Lowe, Susan Poetsch & Michael Walsh (eds) (2010) Re-awakening Languages. Theory and practice in the revitalisation of Australia’s Indigenous Languages. Sydney University Press.

McGregor, William B. ed. (2008) Encountering Aboriginal Languages. Studies in the history of Australian linguistics. Pacific Linguistics, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, ANU Canberra.

Walsh, Michael & Colin Yallop (1993) Language and Culture in Aboriginal Australia. Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra.

Dixon, R.M.W. (2002) Australian Languages: Their nature and development. Cambridge University Press.

 
Some More Good Books and Articles

Amery, Rob & Mary-Anne Gale (2008) “But our language was just asleep: A history of language revival in Australia. In William McGregor (ed.) Encountering Aboriginal Languages. Studies in the history of Australian linguistics. pp. 339-382.

Amery, Rob (2000) Warrabarna Kaurna! Reclaiming an Australian Language. Swets & Zeitlinger, Lisse, The Netherlands.

Blake, Barry (1977) Case Marking in Australian Languages. Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, Canberra.

Blake, Barry (1987) Australian Aboriginal Grammar. Croom Helm, London.

Blythe, Joe & R. McKenna Brown eds. (2003) Maintaining the Links. Language, Identity and the Land. Proceedings of the seventh conference presented by the Foundation for Endangered Languages, Broome, 22-24 Sept. 2003. Foundation for Endangered Languages, Bath, UK.

Calma, Tom (2009) Social Justice Report 2009. Australian Human Rights Commission, Sydney. On-line at http://www.hreoc.gov.au/Social_Justice/sj_report/sjreport09/index.html

Dixon, R.M.W. (1980) The Languages of Australia. Cambridge University Press.

Dixon, R.M.W., W.S. Ramson & Mandy Thomas (1990) Australian Aboriginal Words in English. Their origin and meaning. Oxford University Press, Melbourne.

Eades, Diana ed. (1995) Language in Evidence. Issues confronting Aboriginal and multicultural Australia. UNSW Press, Sydney.

Evans, Nicholas (2003) The Non-Pama-Nyungan Languages of Northern Australia. Comparative studies of the continent’s most linguistically complex region. Pacific Linguistics 552.[BSL 499.05 P1171552]

Evans, Nicholas (2010) Dying Words. Endangered Languages and What They Have To Tell Us. Wiley-Blackwell, Malden, MA.

Gale, Mary-Anne (1997) Dhaŋum Djorra’wuy Dhäwu. A history of writing in Aboriginal languages. Aboriginal Research Institute, UniSA.

Grimes, Charles E. (2009) Indigenous languages in education: what the research actually shows. Australian Society for Indigenous Languages. Palmerston NT.

Harkins, Jean (1994) Bridging Two Worlds. Aboriginal English and Crosscultural Understanding.
University of Queensland Press, St Lucia.

Hartman, Deborah & John Henderson eds. (1994) Aboriginal Languages in Education. Alice Springs, IAD Press.

Henderson, John & David Nash eds. (2002) Language in Native Title. Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra.

Hercus, Luise, Flavia Hodges & Jane Simpson eds. (2002) The Land is a Map. Placenames of Indigenous Origin in Australia. Pandanus Books, ANU Canberra.

Hercus, Luise & Harold Koch eds. (2009) Aboriginal Placenames: naming and re-naming the Australian landscape. ANU e-Press, Canberra.

House of Representatives (1992) A Matter of Survival. Report of the Inquiry into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Language Maintenance.  AGPS, Canberra.

Kendon, Adam (1988) Sign Languages of Aboriginal Australia. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Koch, Harold & Luise Hercus eds. (2009) Aboriginal Placenames. Naming and Re-Naming the Australian Landscape. Aboriginal History Monograph 19. ANU E Press, Canberra.

McConvell, Patrick, Rob Amery, Mary-Anne Gale, Christine Nicholls, Jonathan Nicholls, Lester Irabinna Rigney and Simone Ulalka Tur (2002) “Keep that Language Going!” A Needs-Based Review of the Status of Indigenous Languages in South Australia. A consultancy carried out by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Commission, South Australia.

McConvell, Patrick & Nicholas Evans eds. (1997) Archaeology and Linguistics. Aboriginal Australia in a global perspective. Oxford University Press, Melbourne.

McConvell, Patrick & Nicholas Thieberger (2001) The State of Indigenous Languages in Australia - 2001. Second Technical Paper Series No. 2. A report compiled for Environment Australia, Department of Environment and Heritage, Canberra.

McKay, Graham (1996) The Land Still Speaks. NBEET, AGPS Canberra.

Mühlhäusler, Peter (2008) History of research into Australian pidgins and creoles. In William McGregor (ed.) Encountering Aboriginal Languages. Studies in the history of Australian linguistics. pp. 437-457.

Purdie, Nola, Tracey Frigo, Clare Ozolins, Geoff Noblett, Nick Thieberger, Janet Sharp (2008)
Indigenous Languages Programmes in Australian Schools. A Way Forward. ACER Report. Department of Education,Employment and Workplace Relations, Canberra. On-line at:http://www.dest.gov.au/sectors/school_education/publications_resources/profiles/Indigenous+Languages+Programs+in+Australian+Schools+%E2%80%93+A+Way+Forward.htm

Romaine, Suzanne (1991) Language in Australia. Cambridge University Press.

Schmidt, Annette (1990) The Loss of Australia's Aboriginal Language Heritage. Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra.

Shnukal, Anna (1988) Broken. An introduction to the Creole language of Torres Strait. Pacific Linguistics, ANU Canberra.

Simpson, Jane, Mary-Anne Gale and Rob Amery (2008) I could have saved you linguists a lot of time and trouble: 178 years of Research and Documentation of South Australia’s Indigenous Languages. In William McGregor (ed.) Encountering Aboriginal Languages. Studies in the history of Australian linguistics. pp. 85-144.

Simpson, Jane, David Nash, Mary Laughren, Peter Austin & Barry Alpher eds. (2001) Forty Years On. Ken Hale and Australian Languages. Pacific Linguistics.

Simpson, J. and G. Wigglesworth (2008) Children's language and multilingualism: Indigenous language use at home and school. Continuum International Press, London.

Sutton, Peter & Michael Walsh (1979) Revised Linguistic Fieldwork Manual for Australia. Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, Canberra.

Thieberger, Nicholas (ed.) (1995) Paper and Talk: A manual for reconstituting materials in Australian Indigenous languages from historical sources.  Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra.

Thieberger, Nicholas & William McGregor eds. (1994) Macquarie Aboriginal Words. Macquarie Library, Sydney.

Tunstill, Guy (2004) Adnyamathanha R to 10. A teaching framework for revival and second language learning in years reception to ten. Department of Education and Children’s Services, Adelaide.

Wilkins, David (2008) ‘W(h)ither language, culture and education in remote Indigenous communities of the Northern Territory?’ Australian Review of Public Affairs. October 2008.
On-line at: http://www.australianreview.net/digest/2008/10/wilkins.html

Wilson, Greg (2004) Arabana Years R to 10. An Arabana teaching framework for reception to year 10. Language revitalisation and second language learning. Department of Education and Children’s Services, Adelaide.

 

JOURNALS

Voice of the Land

Ngoonjook

Australian Journal of Linguistics (AJL)

Australian Aboriginal Studies (AAS)

 

 

MyUni
Additional course-related material will be posted on MyUni, including Lecture Content, Announcements and other resources.


Useful Websites

Mobile Language Team (MLT) based at the University of Adelaide http://www.mobilelanguageteam.com.au/

Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) website
http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/collections/muraread.html

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) – 1996 Statistics
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/2f762f95845417aeca25706c00834efa/aadb12e0bbec2820ca2570ec001117a5%21OpenDocument#

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) – Indigenous Language and Culture
http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/ViewContent?readform&view=ProductsbyTopic&Action=Expand&Num=5.1.7

Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education http://www.batchelor.edu.au/

David Nash’s Australian Languages pages http://www.anu.edu.au/linguistics/nash/aust/

David Nathan’s Aboriginal Languages of Australia Virtual Library http://www.dnathan.com

Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet, Office of the Arts: Indigenous Languages Support (ILS)
http://www.arts.gov.au/indigenous/ils

Department for Education and Child Development (DECD) http://www.decd.sa.gov.au/teachingandlearning/pages/Language/indigenous/

Federation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages and Cultures (FATSILC) http://www.fatsilc.org.au/

Kaurna Warra Pintyanthi http://www.adelaide.edu.au/kwp/

Pitjantjatjara Language course at the University of South Australia http://programs.unisa.edu.au/public/pcms/course.aspx?pageid=106079

Yolngu Languages courses at Charles Darwin University http://learnline.cdu.edu.au/yolngustudies/

Centre for Australian Languages and Linguistics (CALL) Batchelor Institute for Indigenous Tertiary Education (BIITE) https://www.batchelor.edu.au/research-2/#

Australian Human Rights Commission http://www.hreoc.gov.au/Social_Justice/sj_report/sjreport09/index.html

Transient Languages & Cultures Blog http://blogs.usyd.edu.au/elac/

 
International Web Sites:

Foundation for Endangered Languages (FEL) http://www.ogmios.org/

The Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Project, SOAS http://www.hrelp.org/

First Voices web pages (British Columbia) at  http://www.firstvoices.com/

Kualono, University of Hawai’i webpages at  http://www.olelo.hawaii.edu/

Māori Language Commission pages at  http://www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz/

Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival http://www.aicls.org/

Linguistics, University of California at Berkeley http://linguistics.berkeley.edu/research/field/

Manx Heritage Foundation http://www.manxheritage.org/

Language Documentation & Conservation http://nflrc.hawaii.edu/ldc/

 

 

This course is delivered through an intensive Winter School. Whole-day lecture/workshop sessions will be held on Tues/Wed/Thurs of each week over a 3-week period, leaving Friday through to Monday (inclusive) for students to pursue their own reading, research and assignment preparation.

Material for completion of Assignment #1 will be presented to class during the 1st week. Students will hand up this assignment early in Week 2. Similarly, material needed for completion of Assignment #2 will be presented in Week 2 and should be handed in by the end of the lecture break. The Winter School will be a combination of presentation of material through Lectures, group discussion, practical workshops and small group work focussed on practical engagement with specific language data and problem-solving. Formative work will be undertaken in workshop mode and in small groups to prepare students for the completion of summative assessment tasks.

15 Hours lecture/workshop per week (X3)	45 hours
Reading	36 hours
Research	36 hours
Assignment preparation	39 hours
TOTAL	156 hours

Schedule

Session	Content	Associated Readings	Associated Assignments
Week 1 Day 1	Overview Key Issues	Text Ch.1; Evans (2010); McConvell & Thieberger (2001); Calma (2009); Elkin (1970); Walsh (1997); Rigney (2002)
Week 1 Day 1	Language, Land and Identity	Text Ch.2; Bell (2002); Henderson (2002); Sutton (1979); Hercus & Simpson (2002)
Week 1 Day 2	The Distribution of Australia’s Languages South Australia’s Indigenous Languages	Text Ch.3; DECS (2009); Simpson et al (2008); McConvell et al (2002); Schmidt (1990)	Essay topic #1
Week 1 Day 3	Sound Systems and Writing Systems	Text Ch.5; Gale (1998); Thieberger (1995); Schebeck (2004)	Assign #1 DUE 30 June 2014 Essay topic #4
Week 2 Day 4	Lexicon, Semantics & Metaphor Indigenous taxonomies	Text Ch.6; Hansen (1984); Walsh (1992); Goddard (1993); McConvell (2000); Amery (1993).
Week 2 Day 4	Language & Culture Linguistic etiquette Sign language	Text Ch.4; Walsh & Yallop (1993) Ways of Thinking video	Essay topic #2 Essay topic #3
Week 2 Day 5	Australian Aboriginal Grammars	Text Ch.7; Green (1994); Blake (1989); Evans (2003); Dixon (1982)	Essay topic #4
Week 2 Day 6	Language Connections	Text Ch.8; Koch (2003); Pensalfini (2001); Evans (2003); Dixon (2002)	Assign #2 Due 25 July 2014 Essay topic #1
Week 3 Day 7	Aboriginal Languages in Education	Grimes (2009); Devlin (2009); Walsh (2003); Wilkins (2008); Simpson et al (2009); Mühlhäusler et al (2004); Purdie et al (2008)	Essay topic #5 Essay topic #6
Week 3 Day 8	Language Maintenance and Language Revival	Text Ch. 9; Amery & Gale (2008); Walsh in Hobson et al (eds) (2010); NILS I and II Reports
Week 3 Day 8	Aboriginal English; Australian Creoles and Koines	Text Ch.10; DEET (1995); Harkins (1994): Sandefur (1985); Urry & Walsh (1981); McConvell (2008); Eades (1995); Amery(1993)	Essay topic #10
Week 3 Day 9	Language and the Law Language and Health Interpreting and Translation Future Prospects	Eades (1988); Cooke (1995); Trudgen (2000): Cass et al (2002); ARDS (2009)	Essay topic #7 Essay topic #8 Essay topic #9
			Essay Due 8 August 2014

Due to the nature of the Winter School delivery mode and taking into account the specific needs of students, the Learning Activities Summary is indicative only. It might be that more or less emphasis
will be placed on particular topics depending on the particular needs and interests of students

Opportunities will be provided for students to work together in small groups with problem-solving exercises or small-group discussion.

Assessment Task	Task Type	Weighting	Learning Outcome
Practical Investigation #1	Summative	25%	2, 5, 6
Practical Investigation #2	Summative	25%	3, 4, 5, 6
Essay(2.500 words)	Summative	40%	1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Attendance & Participation	Formative	10%	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Assignment 1: Practical Investigation #1 (Answer Part A or Part B)

Word Count: 1,000 words

Due Date: 30 June 2014

 
A. Sound Systems of Prominent Australian Languages: Compare and contrast the sound systems and orthographies of 5 prominent Australian Languages: Pitjantjatjara (NW of SA), Warlpiri (Tanami, NT), Yolŋu Matha (NE Arnhemland), Adnyamathanha (Flinders Ranges SA) and Kala Kawaw Ya (Western Torres Strait).

What are the commonalities and differences between the sound systems of these 5 languages?

Compare and contrast the orthographies employed.

 OR

 B. Writing Systems: Why is it important to have a writing system?
Why not let people “spell it the way it sounds” as they say? What do people mean when they say “spell it the way it sounds”? Discuss with reference to specific Aboriginal languages and specific examples taken from those languages.




Assignment 2: Practical Investigation #2  (Comparative)

Word Count; 1,000 words

Due Date: 25 July 2014

 
Investigate the linguistic relationships between two South Australian languages (or any two languages chosen in consultation with the Course Coordinator). Consider genetic relationships, as well as relationships resulting from language contact and diffusion. Consider a range of aspects of language, including phonological, lexical, semantic and grammatical similarities and differences.





Assignment 3: Essay

Word Count: 2,500 words

Due Date: 8 August 2014

 
Select one of the following topics:

1.       Discuss the collection of information on Australian languages and their speakers by the
Australian Bureau of Statistics. What improvements have been made in the collection of this information? How could/should this be further refined?

2.       What is the relationship between language and culture? Explain with reference to
Australia’s Indigenous languages. Be sure to provide specific examples from a range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages.

3.       Discuss the phenomenon of name taboo and the role it might play in language change. Be
sure to provide specific examples from a range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages.

4.       How has research into Australian languages challenged previously held notions of universal properties of language? Detail some of the unique or unusual features found within the languages of Australia.

5.       Explain the difference between language immersion and submersion, giving specific examples from the Northern Territory.

6.       In early 2014 a review of Indigenous education in the Northern Territory was handed down. Review this review in terms of what it says about Indigenous languages in education and implications for Indigenous languages in education in the Northern Territory.

7.       What challenges face interpreting and translation services in Indigenous languages in Australia? Discuss.

8.       Aboriginal Resource and Development Services (ARDS) is currently working on developing and
understanding Yolngu legal terms and expressions. Discuss the differences between Aboriginal Law and Australian (Western) Law and efforts to reconcile the two within Yolngu Matha.

9.       In his book Why Warriors Lie Down and Die, Richard Trudgen says “I believe that between seventy-five and ninety-five per cent of a doctor’s communication with Yolŋu patients fails whether a [Yolŋu] health worker is involved or not” (p.76). What is the nature of this miscommunication?
Tease out the linguistic issues involved.

10.    What is ‘Nunga English’? How and why did it develop? Be sure to illustrate with copious examples.

11.    Topic of your own choice. N.B. THIS MUST FIRST BE DISCUSSED AND APPROVED BY THE
COURSE COORDINATOR.

 Be sure to draw on reputable published print-based references, though of course you may complement these with sources accessed from the internet, popular press or other ephemeral
material. Wherever possible, relate your own experience to issues discussed in the literature.

1.        Assignments may be e-mailed to the Course Coordinator OR submitted in hard copy.

2.        If submitted in hard copy, this copy should be handed in to the School of Humanities Office, Napier, Level 7 where it will be date stamped and passed on to the Course Coordinator.

3.        All assignments (whether e-mailed or submitted in hard copy) must be accompanied by
a signed cover sheet (Linguistics cover sheets available from the School Office).

4.        Ensure that your Course Coordinator’s Name, Course Title and Assignment Title appear
on the cover sheet.

5.        All assignments must be in grammatical English.

6.        Phonetic transcription may be hand-written legibly, though use of electronic IPA symbols
is preferred. Typed assignments must be double-spaced with a minimum 10 font.

7.        Always keep a copy of your work. (Just occasionally things do go astray)

8.        Assignments submitted late require a doctor’s certificate, counsellor’s certificate or
similar proof/documentation.

9.        Extensions (normally up to one week) may be negotiated through the Course Coordinator, but this MUST be organised prior to the due date.

10.      Penalty with no extension is 2% per day up to 10 working days.

11.      Students may collect assignments 2 and 3 from the Course Coordinator OR submit a
stamped, self-addressed A4 envelope to the School Office. The course name and lecturer’s name should also be listed on the envelope. If no envelope accompanies the final essay, it will not be returned and it will be graded only.