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Revitalising Language

July 28, 2009

Scotdesco elders are some of the last remaining fluent speakers of wirangu language. Throughout history, wirangu people were not allowed to speak their language in schools and it become endangered. Over the years, linguists have recorded elders speaking wirangu and the University of Adelaide has worked to create resources that can be used with children to help revitalise the language of the far west coastal people.

Click here to read more about these resources

Scotdesco Tafe students Jacki Brown, Reva Miller, Lindy Gray and Soraya Scott have been working hard learning wirangu language and how to teach it to school children, community babies and toddlers. A lot of time and effort have been put into lesson planning, making resources and getting used to working with groups of children as well as learning to speak fluent wirangu using the resources made by Gladys and the University. Estelle Miller from the Far West Languages Centre based at Ceduna Arts and Culture Centre supports every Scotdesco project with language workshops and encouragement

Click here to read more about this centre

Projects involving language

Wirangu Nest

Scotdesco mothers are creating a play area where toddlers and babies can play with language...They are using language in everyday play with children learning their first words and it is working well...The tafe students have made up songs and the children love them.....Mothers also run playgroup sessions and will use language when ever they can during activities.


Lindy Gray painting a wardu	Jacki (supprted by Estelle) is reading wardugu wirn to the children	Soraya sharing a book with her son Jayron

Language Camps
School groups are invited to come to scotdesco to camp and practice speaking wirangu language out in the bush doing cultural activities. Click here to read more about these camps

gidyara ingarn	Wardu baru yadu	gidyara-ngu garla mararn

Working in Schools
Jacki Brown has been working on creating theme packs which contain lessons plans and resources which involve children speaking language around a subject, for example weather words. Jacki has taught lessons to Penong school and hopes to work at Koonibba school later this term...