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Dhangum Djorra'wuy Dhäwu: A Brief History of Writing in Aboriginal Languages

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 July 2015

Mary-Anne Gale
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Extract

Since leaving ‘the bush’ I have been continually surprised at the ignorance that still exists about Aboriginal people and their languages. When people chat to me, and it is revealed that I used to work in Aboriginal schools in the Northern Territory, they say things like “Do you speak Aboriginal then?… Maybe you could make a sign for us saying ‘Welcome to our Kindergarten’ in Aboriginal?” I then have to explain that there are many, many different Aboriginal languages, not just one, and to say or write such things in any one of these languages requires a lot more than a mere literal translation. When I began doing research on the topic of writing in Aboriginal languages. I was again surprised at the sorts of comments people made to me. Comments like “How can you do research on writing in Aboriginal languages: I thought the Aborigines didn't even have an alphabet!”

Type
Section One
Information
The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education , Volume 22 , Issue 2 , August 1994 , pp. 33 - 42
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press or the authors 1994

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