Anindilyakwa Number Book – Elizabeth Caldwell

We sold out of the first printing quick as a flash with just local orders, so now we have re-printed and we have plenty to meet international demand (ha!) if the need should arise.
The book is simple and aimed mainly at parents or schools who wish to teach young people how to count to 20 in Anindilyakwa, however it is a vibrant and charming book that will open up to newcomers some of the delightful features of the language. For instance, the range of noun classes, and the mathematical precision of language structures.
Besides provoking the reader to deep thoughts about counting, the reader will enjoy being put in touch with the bush foods of the Groote Eylandt area through the many photos.
The book gained instant notoriety when the first printing arrived, coming almost to the day at the same time as the southern newspapers were heralding some research done with children on Groote Eylandt,
research which “demonstrated” that in languages where there were no words for counting more than one, two, and many, children still had a concept of counting in greater quantities.
Pity they picked on Groote Eylandt, where people do have words for numbers up to twenty. Children would have watched as women traditionally divided out collected turtle eggs into groups. True, a five year old may not have been taught to count yet, but on the days royalty money comes around they watch as the adults divide out their share, and numbers have an important function in daily life.
There are 54 pages, card cover, full colour, lots of photos, some word glossaries in the back, and even a few puzzles to test out what you can learn from your reading.
Cost: $25.00 each plus freight.
Available from Groote Eylandt Linguistics, Angurugu Community Mail
Agency, Angurugu via Darwin, Northern Territory, 0822
Email: linguistics AT activ8.net.au
Phone: 08 8987 6614 or 08 8927 1842
Mobile: 0439 827 073

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