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Radio National: Re-awakening Australian Aboriginal languages

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Radio National: Re-awakening Australian Aboriginal languages

SUBJECTS:  English, Languages

YEARS:  7–8


Did you know that before colonisation there were about 250 distinct Aboriginal and Torres Strait lslander languages being spoken across Australia?

Today, however, the majority of these languages are endangered.

Listen to a number of significant Australians discussing the Aboriginal language situation in Australia today.

Reflect on how this situation came to be. Discover what is being done about it via the Holding our tongues project.


Things to think about

  1. 1.Suppose you and your family were forbidden to speak your own language and were punished for doing so. How would you feel? Many Aboriginal languages have been considered 'lost', or they exist only in early colonial texts. Listen to how and why many people across Australia are committed to bringing these languages back to life.
  2. 2.Listen to Richard Green speak his language (Dharug, of the Darug people from the Sydney area). How did he come to hold on to his language? Why do you think it is such an emotional experience for Mr Green and other Indigenous Australian people to hear their language again?
  3. 3.How are people rebuilding Aboriginal languages? What sources are they relying on to do this work? Reflect on some of the challenges involved in the process. Why do you think it is important to hold on to these languages?
  4. 4.Do some research to find out if there are any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language/s of your local area. If there are, consider ways that you as an individual or a school community could support the revival of Indigenous language/s in your community.



Date of broadcast: 8 Mar 2009


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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