2008 Woodie Awards
Death of Australian languages reflects colonial legacy
Amanda Pressley
Issue date: 2/16/08 Section: World
"Australia is amazing because humans have been there for 50,000 years and they represent an unbroken link to the past in a way that the other places on earth don't," said David Harrison, linguistics professor at Swarthmore College, to BBC News.
For thousands of years, Aborigines controlled the continent through geographically specific nations. At the time of English colonization in 1778, there were almost 700 distinct nations. Within those nations, at least 200 tribal languages were spoken - but now they are rapidly disappearing.
Of the several hundred languages, only 20 are now in common use. This drastic decrease in language diversity garnered Australia National Geographic's label of "most endangered language zone."
While there is a constant ebb and flow of language usage with the quantity of speakers always changing, colonization was a catalyst for the disappearance of Aboriginal languages.
"Such great language loss is proof of the overwhelming affect of colonization," said junior and Native American Club President Marshall Jeffries.
"Colonizers did all that they could to wipe out indigenous cultures," said Assistant Professor of Sociology and Anthropology Tom Guthrie. "This had a huge effect on language loss."
The Aborigines Protection Board was established in 1883 to assimilate Aborigines into English culture. The Board forced Aborigines onto reservations, rationed food and supplies, and banned the speaking of native tongues.
Young children were separated from their parents and put into white "training homes" where boys were taught how to be field hands and girls were raised as servants.
Sally Morgan, raised in a training home, said to BBC News, "The children were taught to be ashamed of their Aboriginality … Some never knew they were Aboriginal."
This separation caused a schism within Aboriginal cultures where older generations spoke the traditional languages but children only spoke English. This halted communication between elders and youth and led to Aboriginal deculturation and isolation.
For thousands of years, Aborigines controlled the continent through geographically specific nations. At the time of English colonization in 1778, there were almost 700 distinct nations. Within those nations, at least 200 tribal languages were spoken - but now they are rapidly disappearing.
Of the several hundred languages, only 20 are now in common use. This drastic decrease in language diversity garnered Australia National Geographic's label of "most endangered language zone."
While there is a constant ebb and flow of language usage with the quantity of speakers always changing, colonization was a catalyst for the disappearance of Aboriginal languages.
"Such great language loss is proof of the overwhelming affect of colonization," said junior and Native American Club President Marshall Jeffries.
"Colonizers did all that they could to wipe out indigenous cultures," said Assistant Professor of Sociology and Anthropology Tom Guthrie. "This had a huge effect on language loss."
The Aborigines Protection Board was established in 1883 to assimilate Aborigines into English culture. The Board forced Aborigines onto reservations, rationed food and supplies, and banned the speaking of native tongues.
Young children were separated from their parents and put into white "training homes" where boys were taught how to be field hands and girls were raised as servants.
Sally Morgan, raised in a training home, said to BBC News, "The children were taught to be ashamed of their Aboriginality … Some never knew they were Aboriginal."
This separation caused a schism within Aboriginal cultures where older generations spoke the traditional languages but children only spoke English. This halted communication between elders and youth and led to Aboriginal deculturation and isolation.
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