Hi I'm Dianne and I'm going to tell you a bit about Aboriginal language and why it's so important to us.

Did you know that when European people first came to Australia there were about 250 Aboriginal languages
being spoken with over 600 dialects? 

If you listen to Sally, you'll hear that European settlement really brought about the destruction of
a lot of Aboriginal culture because people were moved from their traditional lands. Many of our languages were lost forever.

Some communities are working hard to revive their language. This is an important part of preserving our culture
as language and the oral tradition is closely tied to our land. 

Many of our people speak more than one language, their own language as well as languages of
neighbouring clans. You will have to remember that when Aboriginal people are speaking in English they may
actually be using their second, third or even fourth language.

Probably the most common language used now is Aboriginal English which has evolved since
European settlement and uses English vocabulary but includes sounds, words and grammar from
Aboriginal languages. The meanings of lots of words are different as well sometimes they can be
misunderstanding because an Aboriginal person uses a word one way and the white person listening to
them understands something different. Did you know that in Aboriginal English
a roast is a BBQ for instance?

The other thing about language of course is unspoken things that we pick up in things like body language,
hand signals and gestures. Aboriginal culture is quite different to Western culture in this aspect.
For example Aboriginal people don't make eye contact when they are speaking and in fact sometimes
it's quite rude to make eye contact. 

Traditional languages reflect rules of politeness; for example, people use special language when talking
to family in-laws. Children are respectful to their parents' generation but are more relaxed and joke a lot with their grandparents. 

Many Aboriginal people who do not know their traditional language today feel
that they have lost touch with their traditional land, their Dreaming and their culture.
It's important for us to preserve our languages, including Aboriginal English, as a way of expressing
ourselves in our society.