One of Australia’s biggest Aboriginal language groups, Noongar (spoken in Western Australia’s south-west) is set to be preserved with the creation of an Aboriginal online encyclopaedia.
The idea to pursue creation of an encyclopaedia emerged after keen interest was voiced by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians to learn more about one of the world’s oldest languages.
Previous investigations estimate 240 people currently use Noongar as their first-language with 8000 speaking a mixture of English and Noongar words and phrases. There are more than 30,000 Noongar people living in Western Australia.
The three-year project brings together a diverse team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous media and cultural scholars investigating how minority languages can thrive and be passed from one generation to the next using Internet technology and new media.
- This article originally appears at:
- http://theconversation.com/online-encyclopedia-will-help-preserve-noongar-language-23259
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- The Conversation
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