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
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).
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Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR200200350
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$282,726.00
Summary
Metaphors and identities in the Australian vernacular. This project investigates the uniqueness of Australian vernacular English from the late 1800s until today. This is an area of vocabulary which most people find fascinating, and yet its formal study has been largely ignored. The project expects to develop a new understanding of Australia’s novel, often entertaining, use of words. Expected project outcomes include a better appreciation of Australian culture and identity, and by employing a new ....Metaphors and identities in the Australian vernacular. This project investigates the uniqueness of Australian vernacular English from the late 1800s until today. This is an area of vocabulary which most people find fascinating, and yet its formal study has been largely ignored. The project expects to develop a new understanding of Australia’s novel, often entertaining, use of words. Expected project outcomes include a better appreciation of Australian culture and identity, and by employing a new interdisciplinary approach. Benefits of the project include the development of podcasts, educational materials, and publications aimed at building an increased awareness of Australian English and its reflection of Australian culture and values. 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
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.
A multifaceted study of Tangsa: a network of linguistic varieties in North East India. Our world's linguistic and cultural heritage, the product of human evolution, is being lost rapidly due to globalisation and modernisation. This project will record the linguistic diversity of the Tangsa people of North East India, thereby increasing our knowledge of an important regional neighbour and of our human society and history.