Uncategorized – Page 4 – Endangered Languages and Cultures

Orana : how did naming books welcome a Polynesian word as Australian?

19 August 201516 August 2015 by David Nash

LP cover — http://www.musicstack.com/item/74418194

Many of us who remember the 1960s in Australia know the chorus ‘Orana! Orana! Orana to Christmas Day’ (listen via iTunes, track 13) in one of the popular Australianised seasonal songs of the period. The lyricist, ABC staff writer John Wheeler (fl. 1940–70, with composer William Garnet ‘Billy’ James 1892–1977), likely found the word Orana in one of the notorious naming booklets: Orana ‘welcome’ has been listed in many of them as an Aboriginal word of NSW, beginning with Thorpe (1921:5) (and see table below). Update: ‘Carol of the birds’ was in the first set of Five Australian Christmas carols, released for Christmas 1948 (Catholic Weekly 23 Dec 1948, page 2, Magazine Section), which implies Wheeler’s source was one of the Thorpe or Tyrrell booklets published before WWII.

In the 1970s Orana got another boost in New South Wales, from official naming:

Songs of the Empty Place

14 July 2015 by Nick Thieberger

Jimmy Weiner and Don Niles have published Songs of the Empty Place: The Memorial Poetry of the Foi of the Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. This new book contains songs recorded by Weiner between 1979 and 1995 and can be downloaded from ANU E-Press here. All audio was digitised by PARADISEC and is available in the collection JW1. The songs are organised under three main categories: 7 Women’s Sago Songs (Obedobora), 44 Men’s Songs (Sorohabora), and 7 Women’s Songs (Sorohabora) and accompanied by some 40 photographs.

Tongue twisters in Australian languages

14 July 201523 June 2015 by Piers Kelly

A lively thread has been unwinding over on the RNLD email list recently, in response to a request for examples of Australian tongue twisters.

So many great phrases have come out of the woodwork that it behooves us to set them down here for posterity. Thanks to John Hobson for starting the discussion, and to all those who contributed examples.

It’s interesting that quite a few of these seem to be about drilling the word-initial velar nasal [ŋ-], one of the perenniel challenges for mother-tongue speakers of English but less ‘twisty’ for speakers of Australian Aboriginal languages, or indeed for anyone who lives in the vicinity of these red dots.

Arrernte

Intelyapelyape yepeyepe-kenhe lyepelyepele anepaneme
‘The butterfly is sitting on the sheep’s intestines’

(thanks: Jenny Green)

Translation in language documentation and revitalisation: LIP discussion

13 June 201511 June 2015 by admin

Alan Ray recaps June’s Linguistics in the Pub.

The June Melbourne LIP discussed the vexed topic of translation, particularly in the context of endangered languages. The context for the discussion was provided by Evans and Sasse (2007) and Hellwig (2010). Present were linguists from Monash, Melbourne and La Trobe universities.

The first observation, supported by personal experience and the above references, was that the longer a linguist works with a language and its speakers, the greater appreciation there is for the complexities and subtleties of that language. The challenge is how to show that complexity. In a standard three line example of text, gloss and free translation, the last is where idiom and other complexity can be shown. Of course the free translation can also mislead as it does not directly reflect the exact text and there is frequently no transparency as to how the free translation was arrived at. There was support in the group that the process should be more transparent. For example, at times a fourth line should be added before the free translation; a literal translation which most accurately reflected the base text.

There was considerable discussion on the question of context; how to show it and how important it was. Various aspects of context such as discourse information, cultural knowledge, gesture and physical landscape could all be important in establishing meaning.

Generating word forms

18 May 2015 by Nick Thieberger

Have you ever wanted to create a list of possible words in a language you are working on? Have you started creating a dictionary but now need to find words that are not yet recorded? This could be the app for you. Word Generator is a free web service that lets you upload a list … Read more

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

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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