Proto Oceanic Language, culture and environment: Foundations of the Austronesian settlement of the Pacific. The project aims to reconstruct the lexicon of Proto Oceanic. Proto Oceanic was ancestral to most Austronesian languages of Melanesia, Polynesia and Micronesia. By paying attention to the semantics of terminologies, we expect to learn much about the culture, society and cosmology of Proto Oceanic speakers and their conception of and adaptation to the natural environment. The results will ....Proto Oceanic Language, culture and environment: Foundations of the Austronesian settlement of the Pacific. The project aims to reconstruct the lexicon of Proto Oceanic. Proto Oceanic was ancestral to most Austronesian languages of Melanesia, Polynesia and Micronesia. By paying attention to the semantics of terminologies, we expect to learn much about the culture, society and cosmology of Proto Oceanic speakers and their conception of and adaptation to the natural environment. The results will be presented in Volumes 3-5 of a five-volume series. Volume 1 was published in 1998; volume 2 is almost complete. This project will support fundamental research for volumes 3 (flora and fauna), 4 (people and society) and 5 (indices, etc).
Read moreRead less
A Social History of Australian English. This is a study of the development of attitudes towards Australian English in the period 1788 to 2000. It will demonstrate the significance of the growth of Australian English as a marker of national identity in the nineteenth century, the suppression of Australian English in the first half of the twentieth century, and the acceptance of Australian English in the second half of the twentieth century. The completed study, in the form of a book, will lead to ....A Social History of Australian English. This is a study of the development of attitudes towards Australian English in the period 1788 to 2000. It will demonstrate the significance of the growth of Australian English as a marker of national identity in the nineteenth century, the suppression of Australian English in the first half of the twentieth century, and the acceptance of Australian English in the second half of the twentieth century. The completed study, in the form of a book, will lead to a new understanding of the role Australian English has played in Australia's social, political, and cultural history.
Read moreRead less
New languages seen with new eyes: Evidence for the emergence of grammar in signed languages using new methodologies and technologies. This project will ensure that the education of signing deaf children and the scientific study of human language are based on descriptions of sign language vocabulary and grammar that are supported by empirical evidence from representative samples of naturalistic language. The knowledge is essential for developing assessment and teaching tools for deaf children, fo ....New languages seen with new eyes: Evidence for the emergence of grammar in signed languages using new methodologies and technologies. This project will ensure that the education of signing deaf children and the scientific study of human language are based on descriptions of sign language vocabulary and grammar that are supported by empirical evidence from representative samples of naturalistic language. The knowledge is essential for developing assessment and teaching tools for deaf children, for improving the training of sign language interpreters, and for understanding the results of research into human cognition and the processing of language-spoken, written or signed-in the brain. The internet accessible digital video corpus will be an important cultural archive, educational resource and scientific dataset for the on-going research.Read moreRead less
New words for new things: Formal and substantive aspects in the development of the Pitkern-Norf'k language. This project will help consolidate Australia's reputation as a leader in contact language research. It will strengthen Australia's social and economic fabric by involving a small remote community in research on their endangered language, thereby sustaining community cohesion and a sense of identity. The publications arising from the research will have direct applications to language reviva ....New words for new things: Formal and substantive aspects in the development of the Pitkern-Norf'k language. This project will help consolidate Australia's reputation as a leader in contact language research. It will strengthen Australia's social and economic fabric by involving a small remote community in research on their endangered language, thereby sustaining community cohesion and a sense of identity. The publications arising from the research will have direct applications to language revival, teaching, and cultural tourism as currently promoted by the Norfolk Island Assembly.Read moreRead less
Understanding Indonesian: developing a machine-usable grammar, dictionary and corpus. Australia's relationship with Indonesia is of great significance. The need for good relationships founded on appreciation of the range of societies and views in modern Indonesia is widely acknowledged. A better knowledge of the languages is essential for this, and so are fast, efficient information gathering systems for processing multilingual sources (including Indonesian text), that can analyse large volumes ....Understanding Indonesian: developing a machine-usable grammar, dictionary and corpus. Australia's relationship with Indonesia is of great significance. The need for good relationships founded on appreciation of the range of societies and views in modern Indonesia is widely acknowledged. A better knowledge of the languages is essential for this, and so are fast, efficient information gathering systems for processing multilingual sources (including Indonesian text), that can analyse large volumes of text. The skills to build such systems exist internationally. Through collaboration with established international teams, we plan to transfer cutting-edge skills in the development of machine-useable grammars to Australian researchers, and to create the language resources essential for understanding Indonesian.Read moreRead less
The languages of Minahasa: description, documentation, and support. This project works to document and preserve several endangered languages of Minahasa, one of the few Christian areas of Indonesia. Most of the languages of this area, as well as their distinctive ethnic cultures, are under pressure from mainstream Indonesian language and culture and will vanish within a generation if nothing is done.
Why and how do languages expand, coalesce or die? Lisu in China, Burma, Thailand and India. This project extends Australian leadership of international co-operation in language contact research. Practical outcomes include a pandialectal dictionary of Lisu and literary materials which provide in-depth background on the languages, cultures, religions and history of East, Southeast and South Asia. Like most nations, Australia has many indigenous and migrant languages which are under threat, many wi ....Why and how do languages expand, coalesce or die? Lisu in China, Burma, Thailand and India. This project extends Australian leadership of international co-operation in language contact research. Practical outcomes include a pandialectal dictionary of Lisu and literary materials which provide in-depth background on the languages, cultures, religions and history of East, Southeast and South Asia. Like most nations, Australia has many indigenous and migrant languages which are under threat, many with dialect issues that further complicate the situation. The findings of this project may be directly applied for the maintenance and revitalisation of our indigenous languages, nearly all of which are now struggling for survival, and in similar efforts for migrant languages.Read moreRead less
The Cultural Model of Ageing in Australian English. Prolonged old age is one of the most significant medical and societal breakthroughs of our time. As countries like Australia prepare themselves for this ‘longevity revolution’, the current research delivers the much-needed linguistic support for this important interdisciplinary area. By exploring the expressions that contemporary Australians use to talk, directly or indirectly, about growing old, the project will reveal how our society now conc ....The Cultural Model of Ageing in Australian English. Prolonged old age is one of the most significant medical and societal breakthroughs of our time. As countries like Australia prepare themselves for this ‘longevity revolution’, the current research delivers the much-needed linguistic support for this important interdisciplinary area. By exploring the expressions that contemporary Australians use to talk, directly or indirectly, about growing old, the project will reveal how our society now conceptualises a topic so often considered taboo. In addition to scholarly outcomes, this work has a very practical application in the form of information booklets and professional development courses aimed to improve the quality of aged-care services and ultimately the course and outcome of ageing.Read moreRead less