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Research draft

Australian Aboriginal languages

vr.tr.australian-aboriginal-languages · INF.MED

Let an agent describe Australian Aboriginal languages and their families respectfully, present documentation and revival efforts with attribution to communities and linguists, support learning where communities permit, and handle cultural protocols.

Thing Registry Information and virtual systems

Research draft, second pass

A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.

written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify

Researched by: Claude

Purpose and description

Let an agent describe Australian Aboriginal languages and their families respectfully, present documentation and revival efforts with attribution to communities and linguists, support learning where communities permit, and handle cultural protocols.

The languages Indigenous to mainland Australia and nearby islands, numbering several hundred at the time of European colonisation and grouped into families of which Pama-Nyungan is the largest alongside non-Pama-Nyungan families, including languages such as Tiwi, Wangkatha and many others; many are endangered or no longer spoken, while others are maintained and revived by their communities, and they are described here in the terms their speakers and communities use.

What it is for: Indigenous languages of Australia.

It can be describe languages and families; present documentation and revival; support learning appropriately; handle cultural protocols.

Distinguishing features

Many languages

Family structure

Endangerment and revival

Cultural protocols

What it looks like

Not physical; spoken and, increasingly, written languages.

How it is recognised

Indigenous languages of Australia

Pama-Nyungan and other families

Torres Strait Islander languages are distinct, and Kriol is a creole

Related models

is a kind of - category

indigenous language

is a kind of - category

languages of Australia

is related to - speaker communities

Indigenous peoples

is related to - another language family entry

Uralic

In practice

Families and kinds

Pama-Nyungan languages

non-Pama-Nyungan families

sleeping and reawakened languages

strong languages still learned by children

contact languages

Standards and regulation

Community protocols for language and cultural knowledge

Language policy and funding in Australia

Archive access rules

Failure modes and hazards

Disrespecting community protocols

Outdated speaker counts

Presenting languages as extinct when revival is under way

Also called

WangkathaMardoNyangbalTiwiNdrangithWagaydyicGunwinyguanArnhemLaragiyaNgurmburUmbugarlaPama–NyunganWagimanWorimiIwaidjanBindalGanguluTasmanianGarawanGiyugGudangNon-Pama-NyunganKarrangaKungarakanyBangerangLower BurdekinMarranjNauoNgandiNgaygunguNungaliThawaWakabungaWergaiaWuliwuliWurruguYugulYuyuKandjerramalhDjauan

+266

Where this came from

wikidata · CC0 1.0

Drafted structure

Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.

Understand The languages.

Attribution.

Families

Families and diversity.

Families

Families.

  1. How are Australian Aboriginal languages classified into families, and how many were and are spoken, according to linguists and community sources? provenance
  2. Which entry fits a specific language? action

Features

Linguistic features.

Features

Features.

  1. What linguistic features are characteristic, such as case systems, kinship terms and avoidance registers, as described by linguists? provenance
  2. Is the presentation respectful of community perspectives? boundary
Community Communities and revival.

Practice.

Revival

Maintenance and revival.

Revival

Revival.

  1. How are communities maintaining and reviving their languages, and which language centres and programmes exist? provenance
  2. Which entry fits language revitalisation? action

Protocols

Cultural protocols.

Protocols

Protocols.

  1. Which protocols apply to sharing language and cultural knowledge, and how should agents respect them? boundary
  2. Who holds authority over a language? provenance
Learn Learning and resources.

Practice.

Learning

Learning a language.

Learning

Learning.

  1. How can someone learn an Australian Aboriginal language where communities offer resources? provenance
  2. Which entry fits a specific resource? action

Archives

Documentation and archives.

Archives

Archives.

  1. Which archives and dictionaries document these languages, and what access rules apply? provenance
  2. Which references are standard? provenance
History History and policy.

Context.

History

History.

History

History.

  1. How did colonisation affect these languages, according to historians and communities? provenance
  2. Is the presentation attributed and neutral? boundary

Policy

Policy.

Policy

Policy.

  1. What language policies and recognition exist in Australia today? provenance
  2. Which misconceptions arise? provenance

What the second pass must settle

  • Should each language be a separate entry?
  • How should language centres be linked?
  • How should protocols be documented?