1887
Volume 30, Issue 1
  • ISSN 0155-0640
  • E-ISSN: 1833-7139

Abstract

Language is crucial in our lives and to all disciplines. It affects our well-being individually and collectively and touches important sociopolitical issues. Linguists/applied linguists have exciting opportunities for interdisciplinary research and to work in contexts personally meaningful to them. While language is the concern of all people, professionals have special responsibilities to provide leadership in understanding how it works and responsible insights into the uses and abuses of language in society.

Australian language specialists can offer the rest of the world experience with language policy, typological and language contact studies, and bilingual language acquisition. Some Australians have advanced linguistic knowledge through studies of indigenous languages. Many have worked with indigenous, ethnic and other communities and professional groups, providing evidence in court or advice to teachers and families. Some broadcast regularly or occasionally. But have we succeeded in contesting the monolingual mindset of the mainstream? The Australian authors represented in language sections of most general bookshops are not linguists.

Far more collaboration and coordination of initiatives through the professional societies is needed to put languages back on the national agenda and make Australia more language-aware. This should lead to recognizing, valuing, fostering and transmitting, supporting and sharing our linguistic diversity. Australia’s rich language potential has only been partly realized.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.2104/aral0703
2007-01-01
2025-06-14
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Arefi, M.
    1997 The relationship between first and second language writing skills for Iranian students in Sydney: An application of the interdependence hypothesis. PhD thesis, University of Western Sydney.
  2. Baker, C.
    2001Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Burratt-Pugh, C. ; Rohl, M.
    2001 ‘Learning in two languages: A bilingual program in Western Australia’. The reading teacher, April, 664–676.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Calero-Breckenheimer, A ; Goetz E.
    1993 ‘Reading strategies of biliterate children for English and Spanish texts’. Reading psychology14: 177–204. doi: 10.1080/027027193140301
    https://doi.org/10.1080/027027193140301 [Google Scholar]
  5. Clyne, M.
    1997 ‘Language Policy in Australia – achievements, disappointments, prospects’. Journal of intercultural studies18: 63–71. doi: 10.1080/07256868.1997.9963442
    https://doi.org/10.1080/07256868.1997.9963442 [Google Scholar]
  6. 2003 ‘When the discourse of hatred becomes respectable – does the linguist have a responsibility?’ Australian review of applied linguistics16: 1–5.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. 2005Australia’s language potential. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Clyne, M ; Kipp, S.
    1997 ‘Trends and changes in home language use and shift in Australia’. Journal of multilingual and multicultural development18: 451–473. doi: 10.1080/01434639708666334
    https://doi.org/10.1080/01434639708666334 [Google Scholar]
  9. 2002 ‘Australia’s changing language demography’. People and place10: 29–35.
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Clyne, M ; Rossi Hunt, C ; Isaakidis, T.
    2004 ‘Learning a community language as a third language’. International journal of multilingualism1: 33–52. doi: 10.1080/14790710408668177
    https://doi.org/10.1080/14790710408668177 [Google Scholar]
  11. Eades, D ; Fraser, H ; Sigel, J ; McNamara, T ; Baker, B.
    2003 ‘Linguistic identification in the determination of nationality: A preliminary report’. Language policy2: 179–199. doi: 10.1023/A:1024640612273
    https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024640612273 [Google Scholar]
  12. Elder, C.
    1997 Background speakers as learners of Italian, Modern Greek and Chinese. PhD thesis, University of Melbourne.
  13. Evans, N.
    (In press). ‘Warramurrungunji undone. Australian languages into the 51st millennium’. In Matthias Brenzinger Ed. Language diversity endangered. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Jimenéz, R ; Garcia, G ; Pearson, P.
    1995 ‘Three children, two languages and strategic reading’. American educational research journal32: 67–97. doi: 10.3102/00028312032001067
    https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312032001067 [Google Scholar]
  15. Kachru, B.
    1982The other tongue. Champaign: University of Illinois Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Kipp, S ; Clyne, M.
    2003 ‘Trends in the shift from community languages: insights from the 2001 Census’. People and place11: 33–41.
    [Google Scholar]
  17. Kipp, S. ; Clyne, M. ; Pauwels, A.
    1995Immigration and Australia’s language resources. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Lo Bianco, J. ; Freebody, P.
    2001Australian literacies. Canberra: Language Australia.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Macqueen, S.
    2005 ‘The changing other: Shifting representations of indigenous Australians in newspaper editorials of 1972 and 2002’. Paper given atALAA Conference, University of Melbourne, September 2005.
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Postmus, M.
    2005 ‘Differences between the beliefs of monolingual and multilingual language students and their approaches to language learning’. Paper given atALAA conference, University of Melbourne, September 2005.
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Rosen, R. ; Digh, P. ; Singer, M. ; Phillips, C.
    2000Global literacies: Lessons on business leadership and national cultures. London: Simon and Schuster.
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Watson, D.
    2005Weasel words. Milson’s Point, NSW: Knopf.
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Yelland, G ; Pollard, J ; Mercuri, A.
    1993 ‘The metalinguistic benefits of limited contact with a second language’. Applied psycholinguistics4: 349–367.
    [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.2104/aral0703
Loading
  • Article Type: Research Article
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was successful
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error