Course overview
Language maintenance, ie. keeping small and indigenous language varieties as strong as possible in the face of globalisation and invasive mainstream media, is of vital interest both in Australia and internationally. Equally, language reclamation (or 'language revival' as it is otherwise known) is becoming increasingly relevant, whether at a national, regional or local scale, as descendants of speakers of lost languages seek to reconnect with their linguistic heritage. Language maintenance and language reclamation both strongly depend on solid linguistic documentation, and its distillation into effective language programs and language materials, as overseen by the relevant language communities. This course then focuses on the nature and practice of language documentation for maintenance and reclamation purposes, and the theory and practice of language program development, application, evaluation and improvement, at different scales, and for a range of different community goals and aspirations.
Course learning outcomes
- Think critically and analyse perspicaciously language revival.
- Be aware of the importance of language for well-being, cultural autonomy and intellectual and spiritual sovereignty.
- Be able to participate in revival efforts in Indigenous, minority and other endangered-heritage communities all over the globe
- Be aware of issues of traditional cultural expressions and Intellectual Property of owners and custodians of the language
- Possess linguistic analytical skills to interpret and assess historical source material
- Draw comparisons between a range of language reclamation movements such as Hebrew, Barngarla and Hawaiian, and identify common features and points of difference
- Write a coherent and logically-argued essay involving language reclamation, morphology, syntax, writing system, phonology and semantics, drawing on a range of perspectives and source material in answer to a question posed
- Investigate the ways in which the Barngarla language is being revived, including creative, technological and talknological innovations