Reconciliation and Social Justice Library
Reconciliation and Social Justice Library
1.1 Before European settlement of Australia there were approximately 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. These were quite distinct languages which between them included about 600 dialects. Contrary to popular misconceptions these languages had complex grammars, rich vocabularies and subtle ways of describing the world around them - a world in which they had lived for tens of thousands of years.
1.2 Most Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders 1 at that time were multilingual and today this is still a common feature amongst strong ATSI language speakers. Individuals could speak the language of their mother, father and spouse which were frequently different. They often learnt the languages of other groups with whom they had contact.
1 The abbreviation ATSI is sometimes used in the report to refer to both Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders.
1.3 People identified themselves by their language group as well as the geographic area they came from such that language provided a group and individual identity. Having an oral tradition, language served as the carrier of culture, law and history as well as day to day communication. It embodied the world view of its speakers.
1.4 A number of these languages still exist today and continue to serve many of the same purposes. However the changes wrought by European settlement have led to the diminished use of many of the, languages and the loss or near extinction of many others. Of the estimated 250 or so languages that existed 200 years ago only a small number, about 1 in 10, survive in a relatively healthy state. Approximately one third of the 250 languages continue to be spoken by some people, but are under considerable threat. Of these a number are spoken only by a handful of older speakers and these languages are likely to die with them.
1.5 A healthy language is a living language which is used in every aspect of daily communication. It is passed automatically from parents to children and is spoken among and between all age groups. It does not require interpolation with another language for expression. Dr Annette Schmidt identifies two additional recurrent features of a healthy ATSI language as; a sizeable number of speakers
with 200 speakers being a bare minimum, and a strong language pride and awareness amongst both young and older generations. 2
1.6 A healthy language is not necessarily a static language and some degree of change and development is normal. However the changes that have occurred to most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages have involved the loss of all or most of the features of a living language. The committee notes that in some circumstances the slide of a language from being healthy to extinct can take as little as one generation.
1.7 This inquiry was undertaken because of the widespread concern over language loss amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Language loss is difficult to regain and most of the losses that have occurred are irretrievable. Awareness of language loss has increased markedly in the last decade spurred on by the rapidly dwindling number of language speakers of some language groups.
1.8 In response to the threats posed to language a number of language projects have been undertaken to arrest the decline. This inquiry has looked at the extent of loss of language and language maintenance programs and the provision and resourcing of such programs. Early in this inquiry the committee had the benefit of receiving the results of an extensive survey of the extent of loss of Aboriginal languages. The report, The Loss of Australia's Aboriginal Language Heritage by Dr Annette Schmidt 3 , provides a detailed and contemporary account of language loss and the state of health of the remaining languages. While Dr Schmidt's survey was quite comprehensive, the figures for language and speaker numbers are rough estimates based on the data available 4 . These figures are useful for indicative purposes, subject to further information becoming available, and should not be used alone for determining program delivery (as occurred in the Green Paper - see Chapter 6). With this information available the committee undertook a series of consultations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and particularly those actively involved in language issues. The committee also took evidence from federal, state and territory governments and other organisations involved in language and education.