Indigenous children’s language practices in Australia

Abstract

Abstract Research on linguistic ecologies and languages of Indigenous children has examined patterns of language development, shift, innovation, and change, which reveal that all Australian traditional Indigenous languages are endangered. In this paper we reflect on the importance of understanding how children acquire these languages which are often typologically very different from those languages generally reported in the acquisition studies and how these studies may contribute to the theories of language acquisition. Our focus is on the range of methodological approaches adopted by studies which have been undertaken to date, many of which highlight the importance of social practice in maintaining traditional language practices. We also detail new approaches, importantly the development of two multigenerational studies which are being conducted among speakers of languages, which continue to be acquired by children, Pitjantjatjara and Murrinhpatha, and which provide an important window into language shift and change in these languages.