Languages

ABST subjects look at a wide range of topics that all relate to the impact of colonization. These include the effects of loss of language and culture on Aboriginal people, and the importance of language to cultural identity.

Language is central to identity in any human culture. People come to know who they are and where they belong through language. Prior to colonization, there were in excess of 250 languages and dialects spoken by Indigenous people in Australia. Language defined Aboriginal people in relation to their “country,” the term used to describe a specific place of belonging. To date, less than twenty Indigenous languages survive. A vast amount of work is being done in the area of Aboriginal language retrieval and preservation. This work involves the collaboration of Elders, Aboriginal community-based linguists, academics and teachers who are painstakingly trying to retrieve, record and document resources that will revitalize Aboriginal languages. Aboriginal communities are the rightful owners and custodians of Aboriginal languages.

More information about Aboriginal languages, dictionaries, language retrieval and preservation can be found at FATSIL: Federation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages
http://www.fatsil.org/index.htm. and Aboriginal Languages of Australia, at
http://www.dnathan.com/VL/austLang.htm

Last reviewed: 7 June, 2007