Page 129 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 13 February 2008
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flags and morse code, and now through modern technology. The use of words, though, remains the number one tool in sharing information in the 21st century. We love to talk, and if my inbox on my desktop is any indication, we love to write. And we have found 6,912 ways to express ourselves around the world through the use of languages. That is the current estimation, according to language experts, of the number of living languages in the world today.
Just think about that figure for a moment: 6,912 languages spoken in communities ranging from remote Indigenous communities in Australia to unique dialects developed by locals in fishing villages in South-East Asia. Sadly, the number of Indigenous languages in Australia that are still surviving today in this country—languages that did survive in remote communities for tens of thousands of years—is diminishing. I can remember how important it was to learn the local language of the people living in Arnhem Land when I worked there and lived with those people, and I still use some of those words and phrases that have become incorporated in the way in which I express myself. Don’t be surprised, for instance, if I say “Ngaku nghe djal?” instead of “what do you want?” or “Manymuk, Latju, Bilangich” instead of “thank you”. It is interesting that the people I lived with have three words for “good” and “thank you” but had no word for “work” until the traders from what we now know as Indonesia arrived in Arnhem Land. Indigenous peoples saw no need to describe in any way what they did to survive. There was no word to describe “work”.
Today marks a very significant day in the lives of the Indigenous people of our country. It is a significant day for all of us, may I suggest. I am hopeful that many benefits will flow from the decision that our federal government has made today to say sorry. Preservation of culture and language may well be one of those benefits.
In the ACT, we speak dozens of different languages and dialects. Ours is a diverse city which has embraced the multicultural and multilingual way of life, with a strong focus on encouraging, admiring and, in some instances, even adopting languages across the community. We revel in our differences and our diversity, as much as we recognise our shared values and similarities. We are united in the importance of preserving languages and the unique attributes of the cultures that make up Canberra. It is a universal fact that language is a way that families, friends and work colleagues, neighbours and even strangers can relate to one another, attribute meaning and create connections.
As a member of this government, I am very proud of the work that went into first the creation and now the implementation of the ACT multicultural strategy 2006-2009. An important component of the strategy, which was created, debated and constructed by grassroots members of Canberra’s multicultural community, is the focus on language policy. For instance, as a government we recognise the impact that having limited English language skills has on people who utilise government services. Our agencies must provide appropriate services that address these communication issues. Likewise, our government recognises that having the ability to speak more than one language is an asset, and many strive to preserve their language of origin while learning to speak English.
It is not only people who speak a language other than English who may find some difficulty in communicating once they arrive in Australia. I was quite curious, for
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