Issues to think about before and after working on Indigenous language projects in remote areas

There are many issues that affect language and linguistic projects that linguists, linguistic organisations and registered training organisations may not yet be aware exist. These include training, sociological, environmental and cultural issues. Some can be resolved through the training of indigenous and non-indigenous language researchers but others cannot. Several of the issues which are not amenable to training solutions can be resolved through language and linguistic organisations, but there are also others which are so embedded in culture that they may not be resolvable in some language communities. It is important for non-indigenous language researchers to be aware of these issues when working with remote indigenous language communities. It is also important for linguists to know about them prior to starting work with indigenous Australians on language projects. This paper draws on concerns raised by indigenous people, including elders, indigenous language researchers and other community members, during recent fieldwork in the Torres Strait, Cairns, Townsville and communities in Central Australia, Top End Northern Territory, the Pilbara and the Kimberley. Their concerns include: Community status; linguistic fluency; working together as one; appropriate terminology; benefits to the community; and respect and recognition for all participants. The data shows that many of these issues are still current, despite being aired for some 30 years. The paper therefore aims to raise awareness so that language projects and the relationships between community and non-indigenous linguists are more successful for all involved

Gaps in Australia’s Indigenous Language Policy: Dismantling Bilingual Education in the Northern Territory

Young children learn best when taught through their mother tongue. This commonsense principle has been supported by decades of research on bilingual education for children who don't speak the dominant language. The research has also shown that there are positive effects on children’s cognitive development if they are encouraged to become strong bilinguals. For Indigenous communities, bilingual education has been highly valued not only because it helps children maintain Indigenous languages, but also because it provides an honoured place for Indigenous languages in the curriculum and an honoured place for Indigenous teachers. However, in the Northern Territory bilingual education has been a controversial issue since its inception in the 1970s. In part this is due to the failure of policymakers to recognise that children who are monolingual in a language other than English need explicit teaching of the English language, by trained English as a Second Language (ESL) or English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers, before they can learn through English as the medium of instruction. Consequently, there has been much political debate on the issue and frequent moves against bilingual education. At the end of 2008 the Northern Territory Government, supported by the Commonwealth Government, all but closed bilingual education in remote Indigenous schools by determining that the language of instruction for the first four hours of school must be English. This decision could spell the death of the remaining endangered Indigenous languages in Australia

Multilingual language policy and mother tongue education in Timor-Leste : a multiscalar approach

This article looks at multilingual, mother-tongue-based language policies influenced by colonial and postcolonial histories and globalization processes. We use multiscalar analysis to show these policies as creative responses to problems affected by national and international forces. Our study focuses on Timor-Leste, specifically a pilot mother-tongue-based multilingual education program. We analyse the program’s practices and successful outcomes, in the adverse circumstances of this small, impoverished, recently independent nation, as it attempts to manage high levels of linguistic diversity (16 mother tongues and a five-language destination system) through multilingual education. We also identify tensions and problems that impinge on the outcomes for this ambitious program. Despite the obstacles, Timor-Leste’s multiscalar multilingual literacy policy is an important case that reinforces the significance of mother tongue education as a response to global complexity. The pilot program provides valuable lessons for many other parts of the world with similar problems, particularly for nations with comparable colonial histories