Languages in Deep Time: the Papuan languages of Island Melanesia and their wider relationships. With its natural focus on the islands of the Southwest Pacific, and the associated mainland of New Guinea, the project has particular relevance for the understanding of the origins of our nearest neighbours. It is envisaged that the results of this project will generate considerable interest outside specialist circles, demonstrating Australian achievements in science on the international stage.
Change in language, culture and identity in a small isolated speech community: Palmerston Island English. This project will investigate language variation and change through a case study of Palmerston Island, a small, isolated community in the Cook Islands, where a new dialect of English has developed. The relationship between social networks, cultural identity and linguistic variation will be explored.
Voice, indexicality and the mediation of diversity on Australian television. Multicultural Australia is a country of many voices, although concern has been expressed about the under-representation of those voices in the media. This project investigates how the voices of minority groups are represented on mainstream Australian television, when they do appear. It examines a substantial body of TV data, from four types of programming: news, sports, advertising and drama. It focuses on minority ethn ....Voice, indexicality and the mediation of diversity on Australian television. Multicultural Australia is a country of many voices, although concern has been expressed about the under-representation of those voices in the media. This project investigates how the voices of minority groups are represented on mainstream Australian television, when they do appear. It examines a substantial body of TV data, from four types of programming: news, sports, advertising and drama. It focuses on minority ethnic voices and on voices linked to different social classes. Close analysis of media processes will be supplemented by consulting professionals and TV viewers. The findings will provide a new perspective on the media’s role in promoting or curtailing cultural literacy and linguistic diversity.Read moreRead less
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
Language and ethnic boundaries. This project aims to use language to study the causes and effects of ethnic diversity, focusing on a Southeast Asian case study. In the isolated Nam Noy valley of Laos, three groups live in close contact and insist on maintaining linguistic and ethnic differences, but have stable interethnic social relations. This project will document the three languages and their communities’ social relations; measure the convergence among the languages; and test causal explanat ....Language and ethnic boundaries. This project aims to use language to study the causes and effects of ethnic diversity, focusing on a Southeast Asian case study. In the isolated Nam Noy valley of Laos, three groups live in close contact and insist on maintaining linguistic and ethnic differences, but have stable interethnic social relations. This project will document the three languages and their communities’ social relations; measure the convergence among the languages; and test causal explanations of the relation between language convergence and stability of culture boundaries. The project expects to provide a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying ethnic and cultural diversity.Read moreRead less
The social dynamics of language: a study of phonological variation and change in West Australian English. This project studies the role of pronunciation as a marker of individual and community identity. As the first systematic study of accent variability in Perth, it focusses on how, across different contexts, speakers from older and younger generations and different backgrounds deploy speech as a means of projecting social affiliation and difference.
Proto Oceanic language, people and society: Foundations of the Austronesian settlement of the Pacific. The settlement of the farflung Pacific Islands is an important chapter in human history. The origins of the languages and cultures of this region, and how the first settlers adapted to and exploited the island environments they encountered, which this study investigates in great detail, are matters of interest not only to scientists but to a wider public which includes Pacific Islanders themse ....Proto Oceanic language, people and society: Foundations of the Austronesian settlement of the Pacific. The settlement of the farflung Pacific Islands is an important chapter in human history. The origins of the languages and cultures of this region, and how the first settlers adapted to and exploited the island environments they encountered, which this study investigates in great detail, are matters of interest not only to scientists but to a wider public which includes Pacific Islanders themselves. Research on this scale requires a great deal of intellectual capital and this project will help to ensure that Australia maintains at least one strong research centre in this field. Read moreRead less
The Baining languages: a window on the history of Island Melanesia. Papua New Guinea is Australia's nearest neighbour. The province of East New Britain is one of Papua New Guinea's most economically important regions due to its significant natural resources. However, it is also home to long-standing ethnic tensions over the distribution of land and resources. This project will increase Australia's understanding of the languages, cultures, history and politics of the province, and strengthen Aust ....The Baining languages: a window on the history of Island Melanesia. Papua New Guinea is Australia's nearest neighbour. The province of East New Britain is one of Papua New Guinea's most economically important regions due to its significant natural resources. However, it is also home to long-standing ethnic tensions over the distribution of land and resources. This project will increase Australia's understanding of the languages, cultures, history and politics of the province, and strengthen Australia's ability to make informed economic and political decisions in the area. The project will reinforce Australia's leadership in the field of Melanesian Studies, train postgraduate students, and strengthen strategic ties in the region.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100118
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$387,882.00
Summary
Empowering vulnerable youth in Australia by combatting linguistic racism. This project aims to investigate how culturally and linguistically diverse young Australians experience discrimination in their daily lives because of how they speak.The project will generate new knowledge addressing the critical need to review the linguistic disparity experienced by bi/multilingual speakers. Major benefits are policy recommendations to improve health and welfare of the population.
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