Matjarr Djuyal: How Using Gesture in Teaching Gathang Helps Preschoolers Learn Nouns

There are important efforts being made to revitalise Aboriginal languages in Australia, which are both pedagogically and culturally appropriate. This research seeks to expand the current knowledge of the effectiveness of gesturing as a teaching strategy for young children learning the Gathang language. An experimental method was used to investigate the effectiveness of gesture by employing a context in which other variables (e.g., other teaching pedagogies) could be held constant. Participants, age range 4–5.2 years, were taught Gathang nouns with gesture and without gesture, alongside verbal and pictorial instruction. After the teaching sessions, each child was assessed for their receptive and expressive knowledge of the Gathang nouns, at two time points, two days after instruction (post-test 1) and one week after (post-test 2). At post-test 2, children had stronger receptive knowledge for words they had learned with gesture than without. These findings contribute to a growing body of research attesting to the effectiveness of gesture for improving knowledge acquisition amongst learners. In the context of Aboriginal language revitalisation, gesture also aligns with traditional teaching practices and offers a relatively low-cost strategy for helping teachers assist their students in acquiring Aboriginal languages.

Australian Aboriginal Languages

The present chapter describes the decline and revitalisation of Australian Aboriginal languages—also called Australian languages. As preliminaries, it looks at the following: (i) a brief history of Aboriginal Australians, (ii) degrees of language viability, (iii) current situation of Australian languages, (iv) value of linguistic heritage, and (v) methods of language revitalisation. It then describes five selected language revitalisation activities, concerning Warrongo, Kaurna, Bandjalang, Thalanyji and Wiradjuri languages. In particular, it provides a detailed account of the Warrongo language revitalisation activity (in which the author has been participating). It finally examines a problem that is frequently encountered in language revitalisation activities: confusion over writing systems. The entire chapter pays careful attention to the changing political climate that surrounds Australian languages and activities for them.

LEXICAL STYLISTIC AND PHONETIC FEATURES OF THE AUSTRALIAN ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN THE CONTEXT OF LINGUISTIC COUNTRY STUDIES

The article deals with the process of formation and development of the Australian English language, characterizes its present-day lexical, stylistic and phonetic features. It has been found out that the Australian variety of the English language was formed as a result of interaction and development of dialects, colloquialisms, slang, through which the first settlers and emigrants from Great Britain, the United States and other countries of the world communicated. As far as everyday vocabulary is concerned, Australian English shares words and phrases with both British and American English, but also has some terminology of its own. Some elements of Aboriginal languages were incorporated into Australian English, mainly as names for the indigenous flora and fauna, as well as extensive borrowings for place names. Australian English has its own characteristic lexical and stylistic features such as a small number of words from Aboriginal languages; formation of new lexical units by extending pre-existing meanings of words; novel compounds; novel fixed phrases; coinage of lexical units; application of vocabulary from British regional dialects; unique means of imagery (metaphors and similes) that reflect the national Australian authenticity. The most common ways of forming Australian slang vocabulary have been described. A unique set of diminutive forms and abbreviations in Australian English has been exemplified. Australianisms have been defined as words or phrases that either originated or acquired new meanings in Australia and are widely used in everyday Australian English. Australians have a distinct accent, which varies between social classes and is sometimes claimed to vary from state to state, although this is disputed. The difference between the three major Australian accents (Broad Australian, General Australian, and Cultivated Australian) has been highlighted. Cultivated Australian is considered to be closely approaching British Received Pronunciation and Broad Australian – vigorously exhibiting distinctive regional features.

Native Tongue Title

This chapter proposes the enactment of an ex gratia compensation scheme for the loss of Indigenous languages in Australia. Although some Australian states have enacted ex gratia compensation schemes for the victims of the Stolen Generation policies, the victims of linguicide are largely overlooked by the Australian Government. Existing competitive grant schemes to support Aboriginal languages should be complemented with compensation schemes, which are based on a claim of right. The chapter first outlines the history of linguicide during colonization in Australia. It then puts a case for reviving lost Aboriginal languages by highlighting the deontological, aesthetic and utilitarian benefits of language revival. After evaluating the limits of existing Australian law in supporting language revival efforts, I propose ‘Native Tongue Title’, compensation for language loss—modelled upon Native Title, compensation for land loss.

‘Stop, Revive, Survive’

This chapter introduces revivalistics, a new trans-disciplinary field of enquiry, and explores lessons from Israeli that are applicable to the reclamation and empowerment of Aboriginal languages in Australia and elsewhere. Any language reawakening should involve a long period of thoroughly observing, carefully listening to the language custodians, and learning, mapping and characterizing the specific Indigenous community. Only then can one inspire and assist. That said, this chapter proposes that there are linguistic constraints (as seen in the Hebrew reclamation) applicable to all revival attempts. Mastering them would be useful to endangered languages, particularly to Indigenous linguistic revival. The chapter introduces a practical tool: the quadrilateral Language Revival Diamond (LARD), featuring language owners, linguistics, education, and the public sphere. Each of these four core quadrants is necessary in reviving any language.