Australia's Original Languages

Author: R. M. W. Dixon
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 1760871532
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 147

Book Description
'A must read for all who would like to understand the languages and culture of Indigenous Australians.' Dr Ernie Grant, Elder of the Jirrbal nation When Captain Cook landed at Botany Bay, about 250 distinct languages were spoken across the continent. Yet Australian Indigenous languages actually share many common features. Bob Dixon has been working with elders to research Australian languages for half a century, and he draws on this deep experience to outline the common features. He provides a straightforward introduction to the sounds, word building, and wide-ranging vocabulary of Indigenous languages, and highlights distinctive grammatical features. He explains how language is related to culture, including kinship relationships, gender systems, and naming conventions. With examples from over 30 languages and anecdotes illustrating language use, and avoiding technical terms, Australia's Original Languages is the indispensable starting point for anyone interested in learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait languages. 'Written in an accessible, easy to read style, Professor Dixon's new book is an informative and entertaining introduction to Australia's "original" languages.' Dr Joe Blythe, Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University

Australia's Original Languages

Author: R. M. W. Dixon
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781760875237
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
An introduction to Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait languages that explains their distinctive features accessibly for readers who have no previous experience with learning another language, and shows how language reflects traditional culture.

The Languages of Australia

Author: R. M. W. Dixon
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108017851
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 574

Book Description
This ground-breaking 1980 study of over 200 Australian languages is still valuable, especially for its non-technical opening chapters.

Bina

Author: Gari Tudor-Smith
Publisher: La Trobe University Press
ISBN: 1743823649
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 284

Book Description
The incredible story of the resilience and recovery of Australia's First Nations languages Australia's language diversity is truly breathtaking. This continent lays claim to the world's longest continuous collection of cultures, including over 440 unique languages and many more dialects. Sadly, European invasion has had severe consequences for the vitality of these languages. Amid devastating loss, there has also been the birth of new languages such as Kriol and Yumplatok, both English-based Creoles. Aboriginal English dialects are spoken widely, and recently there has been an inspiring renaissance of First Nations languages, as communities reclaim and renew them. Bina: First Nations Languages Old and New tells this story, from the earliest exchange of words between colonists and First Nations people to today's reclamations. It is a creative and exciting introduction to a vital and dynamic world of language. 'Years in the making, Bina offers a multidimensional reflection on how many diverse languages across this continent continue to vibrate in rich and profound ways. The emergence of Indigenous linguists Gari Tudor-Smith and Paul Williams as authors of this survey alongside Felicity Meakins signals an important and welcome shift in the Australian linguistics landscape.' —Professor Clint Bracknell, University of Western Australia, Nyungar musicologist and musician

Language in Australia

Author: Suzanne Romaine
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521339834
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 446

Book Description
Linguists and non-linguists will find in this volume a guide and reference source to the rich linguistic heritage of Australia.

Loss and Renewal

Author: Felicity Meakins
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 1501501038
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 464

Book Description
Felicity Meakins was awarded the Kenneth L. Hale Award 2021 by the Linguistic Society of America (LSA) for outstanding work on the documentation of endangered languages Australia is known for its linguistic diversity and extensive contact between languages. This edited volume is the first dedicated to language contact in Australia since colonisation, marking a new era of linguistic work, and contributing new data to theoretical discussions on contact languages and language contact processes. It provides explanations for contemporary contact processes in Australia and much-needed descriptions of contact languages, including pidgins, creoles, mixed languages, contact varieties of English, and restructured Indigenous languages. Analyses of complex and dynamic processes are informed by rich sociolinguistic description.

Language in Native Title

Author: David Nash
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 338

Book Description
This volume has its origin in a workshop on Linguistic Issues in Native Title held at the University of Western Australia on 2 October 1999.

Australian Languages

Author: R. M. W. Dixon
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521473780
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 780

Book Description
Professor Dixon presents a comprehensive study of the indigenous languages of Australia.

The Languages and Linguistics of Australia

Author: Harold Koch
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 3110395126
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 473

Book Description
The Languages and Linguistics of Australia: A Comprehensive Guide is part of the multi-volume reference work on the languages and linguistics of the continents of the world. The volume provides a thorough overview of Australian languages, including their linguistic structures, their genetic relationships, and issues of language maintenance and revitalisation. Australian English, Aboriginal English and other contact varieties are also discussed.

The Habitat of Australia's Aboriginal Languages

Author: Gerhard Leitner
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
ISBN: 9783110190793
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 406

Book Description
The book looks at Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders and explores the changing habitat of languages from pre-colonial times to the present. The contributions treat the languages from a structural and functional linguistic perspective, ..