This paper is about linguistic imperialism and linguistic ecology in respect of the indigenous languages of Australia. The linguistic complexities in Australia are immense, as are the fields of research of linguistic imperialism and linguistic ecology. Neither is the research in the fields mentioned above terminated nor has the development in Australia reached an end. As a result, the paper is only able to provide a snapshot.
The first chapter serves as an introduction. The reader should familiarize her-/ himself with the history and culture of a people, which is unique and distinct from any other civilization. It refers to the initial settlement of the Australian continent, as well as it touches in short specific traits of Aboriginal culture. Answers are provided to questions like, ‘What is language?’, ‘What are the characteristics of Aboriginal languages and Aboriginal English?’
Linguistic imperialism will be discussed in chapter two. From what point on can a relationship between any given subjects be called, in its widest meaning, imperialistic? The chapter refers to Galtung (1980), whose observations are still valid today and gives a historical overview of the rise of the English language from a European Germanic language spoken on the British Islands to a global language, especially focusing on the development in the 19th and 20th century.
Linguistic ecology is a rather new field of research in linguistics. Chapter three reflects on a research orientation which developed in the 1960s and 1970s due to Haugen, who gave the term ecology a linguistic meaning. It tries to show the parallels between biodiversity and cultural/ linguistic diversity and why it has become so important to be aware that not only plants and animals are seriously endangered and need special protection, but also languages. Additionally, other fields of interest of language ecology are introduced in the chapter.
The last chapter deals with the impact European settlement had on indigenous language variety, and the problems contemporary Australian society is confronted with. Australia’s language policy will not only be outlined in regard of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander’s native tongue, but also in regard of community languages. Which possibilities has the Australian government to deal with the problem and which language maintenance efforts have been called into action so far?
Australian Aborigines 3 1 Australian Aborigines
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Table of Contents
0 Introduction
1 Australian Aborigines
1.1 Settlement of the Australian Continent
1.2 Aboriginal Culture
1.2.1 Dreamtime
1.2.2 Family
1.2.3 Death
1.3 Language
1.3.1 Structural Similarity
1.3.2 Mutual Intelligibility
1.3.3 Standardization
1.4 Aboriginal languages of Australia
1.4.1 Language names
1.4.2 Relations with languages outside Australia
1.4.3 Grammatical characteristics
1.5 Aboriginal English
1.5.1 Structural properties of Aboriginal English
1.5.1.1 Grammatical Features
1.5.1.2 Phonological Features
1.5.1.3 Lexical Features
1.5.2 Criteria distinguishing Aboriginal English from Creoles
1.5.2.1 Origin
1.5.2.2 Targeted Learning
1.5.2.3 Mutual Intelligibility
1.5.2.4 Orthographic System
1.5.2.5 Structure
2 Linguistic Imperialism
2.1 The principles of imperialism
2.1.1 Power
2.1.2 Correlations
2.1.3 Exertion
2.1.3.1 Physical force
2.1.3.2 Psychological force
2.1.4 The Centre – Periphery Concept
2.1.5 The Stages of Development
2.2 Linguistic Imperialism
2.2.1 A definition of linguistic imperialism
2.2.2 Mechanisms of validation
2.2.2.1 Ethnocentricity (Anglocentricity)
2.2.2.2 Professionalism
2.2.2.3 Pro-English arguments
2.3 English Language Education
2.3.1 Colonial educational language policy
2.3.2 English Language Education in the early 20th Century
2.3.3 English Language Teaching – Five tenets
2.3.3.1 English is best taught monolingually.
2.3.3.2 The ideal teacher of English is a native (English) speaker.
2.3.3.3 The earlier English is taught the better are the results.
2.3.3.4 The more English is taught the better are the results.
2.3.3.5 If other languages are used much, standards of English will drop.
2.4 English Language Promotion
2.4.1 Language Promotion in Britain – the British Council
2.4.2 Language Promotion in the United States
2.5 The role of the English language in the present world
3 Linguistic Ecology
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Ecology of language
3.2.1 Biological, cultural and linguistic diversity
3.2.2 The interdependency of biodiversity, cultural and linguistic diversity
3.2.3 An argument for linguistic diversity
3.2.3.1 Language and identity
3.2.4 Arguments against linguistic diversity
3.2.4.1 Cost and efficiency
3.2.4.2 One nation – one state – one language?
3.2.5 Endangered Languages
3.2.6 Linguistic Genocide
3.2.7 Linguistic Human Rights – Historical Overview
3.3 Other fields of interest
3.3.1 Language and Ethology
3.3.2 Language and Conflict
3.3.2.1 Ethnic Conflict in Sociology
3.3.2.2 Political Language Conflict
3.3.2.3 Glottophagia - a threat to multilingualism
3.3.2.4 Solving conflict situations
4 Australia – Taking a closer look
4.1 Language politics of the Australian nation
4.1.1 Language politics in regard of ‘community languages’
4.1.2 Language politics in regard to Aboriginal languages
4.1.2.1 The early years and the ‘crunch period’
4.1.2.2 The beginning of recognition and support
4.1.2.3 Resurgence in Aboriginal language awareness and language maintenance
4.2 The state of language vitality
4.3 Factors contributing to language loss
4.3.1 Radical reduction in the number of speakers
4.3.2 The ‘stolen generation’
4.3.3 Patterns of resettlement
4.3.4 Breakdown in isolation
4.3.5 Urbanisation
4.3.6 Increased intermarriage
4.3.7 Changes in economy and values
4.3.8 Media
4.3.9 Education
4.3.10 Speaker attitudes
4.4 Factors contributing to language survival
4.4.1 Language pride
4.4.2 Language as a symbol of identity
4.4.3 Geographical and social isolation
4.4.4 The outstation movement
4.4.5 Language maintenance programs
4.5 Language maintenance programs in Australia
4.5.1 Influencing factors
4.5.1.1 State of language health
4.5.1.2 Availability of skills and resources
4.5.1.3 Community interest and support
4.5.2 Language centres
4.5.3 Bilingual education
4.5.4 Aboriginal language courses
4.5.5 Literacy
4.5.6 Oral history projects
4.5.7 The outstation/ homeland movement
4.5.8 Indigenous tertiary education
4.5.9 Organisations supporting Aboriginal languages
4.5.9.1 Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (AIATSIS)
4.5.9.2 Institute for Aboriginal Development (IAD)
4.5.9.3 Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL)
4.5.9.4 Kimberley Language Resource Centre (KLRC)
4.5.9.5 Aboriginal Languages Association (ALA)
4.6 Hindrances to language maintenance in Australia
4.6.1 Insufficient funding
4.6.2 Problems of bilingual education
4.6.3 Staff turnover
4.6.4 Attendance and mobility
5 Conclusion
6 Bibliography
Research Objectives and Topics
The thesis explores the tension between linguistic imperialism—the dominance of English imposed on indigenous populations—and linguistic ecology, which advocates for the protection of language diversity as a fundamental right. It analyzes the historical and ongoing impact of Western policies on Aboriginal languages in Australia and investigates the efficacy of various language maintenance programs.
- Linguistic imperialism and its mechanisms of validation (Anglocentricity and professionalism).
- The historical settlement of Australia and the resulting suppression of Aboriginal culture.
- The framework of linguistic ecology and the interdependency of biological and cultural diversity.
- Evaluation of language maintenance programs in Australia (bilingual education, language centres, and community support).
- Challenges and hindrances in language preservation (funding, policy, and educational factors).
Excerpt from the Book
1.1 Settlement of the Australian Continent
The old ancestors of the Australian natives have, in all probability, entered the continent from Timor and set foot on the northwest shelf of the Australian continent between 60,000 and 50,000 years ago. This would have been during the late Pleistocene. Sea levels were much lower, and the land areas were about 30 percent bigger than today, i.e. the Aborigines would have needed to cover a distance of about 90 km. These landing sites are now 100 m below sea level, which makes it very difficult to recover traces of these early coastal settlers. It is widely believed, that there have been two major waves of immigration. An original one, whose markers could be observed until recently in the Tasmanian Aborigines, and a second one of a people at a higher level of culture. With the first wave, the immigrants spread over the whole continent, including the south-east corner, which at this time presumably still was a promontorey and not a separate island. Due to continental drifting and post-glacial rising of the sea levels, this promontorey was split off from the mainland and Bass Strait was formed about 12,000 years ago, thus separating Australia and the island of Tasmania. When the second wave of immigrants later reached what nowadays is called Victoria, their advance was stopped by the sea. Why they did not cross Bass Strait is not known.
In contrast to the Aborigines living on mainland Australia, the Tasmanian Aborigines had only the simplest of devices for warfare, etc. Nearly nothing is known of their customs and beliefs. This being the main reason, why their culture is considered of being of a lower level.
Summary of Chapters
0 Introduction: Sets the stage by defining the core concepts of linguistic imperialism and linguistic ecology in the context of indigenous Australian languages.
1 Australian Aborigines: Explores the history, settlement, and cultural background of Aboriginal people, alongside the complexities of their language varieties and the properties of Aboriginal English.
2 Linguistic Imperialism: Examines the theoretical framework of linguistic imperialism, describing how dominant powers use language to maintain inequality and institutional control.
3 Linguistic Ecology: Presents the research orientation that compares language loss to ecological biodiversity loss, advocating for the recognition of linguistic human rights.
4 Australia – Taking a closer look: Offers a deep dive into Australian language policy, documenting specific language maintenance efforts, challenges like funding, and the struggle against language loss.
5 Conclusion: Summarizes the steady decline of Aboriginal languages and calls for a sincere acknowledgment of past mistakes in policy to support future cultural maintenance.
6 Bibliography: Lists the academic resources used for the analysis of linguistic policy, ecology, and Australian history.
Keywords
Linguistic imperialism, linguistic ecology, Australian Aborigines, Aboriginal English, language policy, language maintenance, language loss, biodiversity, cultural diversity, colonialism, linguistic human rights, bilingual education, language centres, indigenious languages, language vitality.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of the work?
The work investigates the impact of linguistic imperialism on the indigenous languages of Australia and discusses potential strategies for their preservation within the framework of linguistic ecology.
What are the core thematic fields?
The core themes include the history of Aboriginal cultures, the mechanisms used by dominant powers to impose English, the biological-linguistic connection, and the politics of language maintenance in Australia.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to understand how European settlement impacted Aboriginal language variety and to evaluate the effectiveness of current government policies and community programs aimed at language maintenance.
Which scientific methodology is used?
The paper utilizes a literature-based theoretical analysis, drawing upon research from Galtung, Skutnabb-Kangas, and others to synthesize insights from linguistics, sociology, and educational history.
What is covered in the main section?
The main section covers the principles of imperialism, the ecology of language as a research paradigm, and a detailed look at the Australian context, including the causes of language loss and survival efforts.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include linguistic imperialism, linguistic ecology, Aboriginal English, language maintenance, and cultural identity.
Why are Australian Aboriginal languages classified as "severely threatened"?
They are threatened because of the radical reduction in the number of fluent speakers following colonization, the break in intergenerational transmission, and the pressure of assimilation through education.
What is the "Zorro model" in the context of bilingual education?
The "Zorro model" is a critical term used to describe the inconsistent implementation of bilingual education in Australian schools, where usage of Aboriginal languages varies widely between grades rather than following a structured, sustained curriculum.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Oliver Roeder (Autor:in), 2000, Language and Aboriginal Culture in Australia: Linguistic Imperialism of English or Language Ecology, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/8100
