Language Research

6. Language in everyday life: The use of language in everyday life, e.g. education, broadcasting, and other

English is the Australian official language and the main language of instruction in its schools, but courses are taught in other languages and some schools have bilingual programs. One in four Australians was either born in a non-English speaking country or has at least one parent from such a country. At least 17% of the population speaks a language other than English at home. Information from the 1996 Census revealed that 14.6% of Australians, 26.4% of Sydney residents and 25.4% of Melbourne residents spoke a language other than English at home.

Linguistic diversity is regarded as an important cultural and economic asset. Government language support programs place special emphasis on Asian languages. The four priority languages are Japanese, Indonesian, Korean and Mandarin. Many Australian schools offer students a choice of an Asian or a European language.

Since 1990 more students have studied Japanese than any other language for the final school year examination and at university. Italian remains the most widely taught language, reflecting the extensive community-based programs in Australia's second most widely spoken language.

ABORIGINAL LANGUAGES EDUCATION

A major way in which schools have been involved in language maintenance has been through bilingual education. Children are taught in their early years of schooling mainly in their first language, which, in later years, continues to be used for some of each day as a language of instruction. As the child progresses through primary school, English plays an increasingly important part until it eventually becomes the main language of instruction. However, the traditional language continues to be recognized and used in the schooling program.

There are sound educational reasons for establishing literacy in the child's first language before developing literacy in English. It breaks the pupil's initial learning tasks into two: first they learn to read and write, then they begin to cope with English. The child only has to tackle one major task at a time, that of learning to read without the added burden of learning a new language at the same time. The child understands his mother tongue and therefore what he reads makes sense. Once the child knows how to read he can apply basic reading skills to learn to read in English. The child will also gain a sense of satisfaction, rather than frustration, at being able to read and express himself orally and in writing initially in his first language and later in English.

The first bilingual programs were introduced in the 1960s and 1970s. Prior to that, the significant number of children in Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland and South Australia who spoke only an Aboriginal language were taught in English. In December 1972 the Whitlam Government launched its policy of self-determination for Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, which included a campaign to have children living in communities given primary education in community languages. By 1973 a program of bilingual education was launched in a number of schools in the Northern Territory. There are now 25 bilingual schools in Australia. The Northern Territory has twenty-one, and Western Australia remaining four. Some of these Northern Territory programs would be more accurately described as two-way rather than bilingual. There are no government schools in Western Australia with a full bilingual program. Bilingual/bicultural programs in Western Australia are in Catholic or independent community schools. South Australia had 8 bilingual schools until recently. At the request of Aboriginal communities, South Australian Government policy now does not support bilingual schools but instead supports domain separation or two way schooling.

Bilingual education in practice has sometimes been criticized as a transfer-to-English program. Much debate about bilingual education has taken place between those who see bilingual education merely as an effective way of developing literacy in English (‘transfer’ model of bilingual education) and those who see bilingual education as being an important means of maintaining Aboriginal language and culture while also enabling the acquisition of literacy in English (a ‘maintenance’ model of bilingual education).

Several aspects of general teacher training continue to have an adverse impact on the education of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and the maintenance of their first language. ATSI communication and social interaction styles are usually not comprehended by teachers without appropriate training and consequently such teachers cannot be effective in teaching ATSI students. While many schools now offer suitable language programs, some children coming to school with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language are still being taught only in English. Children are rejected by this lack of acceptance of their language and because some teachers still denigrate ATSI language whether it is a traditional language, a Creole or Aboriginal English.

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Updated (April 2008)

INDIGENOUS CHILDREN SHOULD LEARN ENGLISH

A leader of Australian indigenous communities, Warren Mundine, demands that federal and state governments force all indigenous children to learn English, plus that a second language become compulsory for all Australians across the nation.

Mr Mundine argues that indigenous people need to start talking directly to the international community so that they can create business, and thus through direct dealing help develop their communities.

He says that every Aboriginal child has to learn English; they have to read, write and speak the English language. On the other hand, he adds that at first schools have to adopt programs that will help indigenous children deal with their problems so they are capable of learning. “The states and the territories and the federal Government have to be committed with money and resources to getting Standard English taught so we can speak to the world,” concludes Mr Mundine.

He is also calling for an “audit” of all Aboriginal policy to get rid of “regulations” that lock indigenous people out of the mainstream. “There needs to be an audit of all the regulations in Aboriginal affairs and all the rules and all the controls and (we need to) start pulling the ones that are restricting our communities from developing down.”

Source: The Australian, National Breaking News, April 19, 2008 by Patricia Karvelas http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23563372-5013172,00.html

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