Booktopia has been placed into Voluntary Administration. Orders have been temporarily suspended, whilst the process for the recapitalisation of Booktopia and/or sale of its business is completed, following which services may be re-established. All enquiries from creditors, including customers with outstanding gift cards and orders and placed prior to 3 July 2024, please visit https://www.mcgrathnicol.com/creditors/booktopia-group/
Add free shipping to your order with these great books
Australia's Original Languages : An introduction - R. M. W. Dixon

Australia's Original Languages

An introduction

By: R. M. W. Dixon

Paperback | 1 July 2019

Sorry, we are not able to source the book you are looking for right now.

We did a search for other books with a similar title, however there were no matches. You can try selecting from a similar category, click on the author's name, or use the search box above to find your book.

An introduction to Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait languages that explains their distinctive features accessibly for readers who have no previous experience with learning another language, and shows how language reflects traditional culture.

When Captain Cook landed at Botany Bay, about 250 distinct languages were spoken across the continent. Yet Australian Indigenous languages actually share many common features.

Bob Dixon has been working with elders to research Australian languages for half a century, and he draws on this deep experience to outline the common features. He provides a straightforward introduction to the sounds, word building, and wide-ranging vocabulary of Indigenous languages, and highlights distinctive grammatical features. He explains how language is related to culture, including kinship relationships, gender systems, and naming conventions.

With examples from over 30 languages and anecdotes illustrating language use, and avoiding technical terms, Australia's Original Languages is the indispensable starting point for anyone interested in learning about the original languages of Australia.

About the Author

R. M. W. Dixon is a Professor of Linguistics at James Cook University and Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. He has been conducting immersion fieldwork since 1963 and is author of The Languages of Australia, co-author of Australian Aboriginal Words in English, and author of grammars and dictionaries for five Indigenous languages.
Industry Reviews
'An engaging and timely new introduction to Australia's original languages...[by]...a giant of Australian linguistics.' - Alan Rumsey, Australian Aboriginal Studies
'A leading scholar... explain[s] the nature of Australia's Indigenous languages to a non-scholarly audience. The book is at its most telling when it focuses on the fact that a language both creates and reflects a society and its culture.' - Australian Book Review

'Dixon uses easy-to-understand terms; the style is light and often amusing.' - Queensland Reviewers Collective

Indigenous Language Books (for Adults)

Kalyakoorl, Ngalak Warangka : Forever, we sing - Gina Williams