Between duty statement and reality – The “Linguist/Coordinator” at an Australian Indigenous language centre
| dc.contributor.author | Olawsky, Knut J. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2014-11-06T20:10:20Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2014-11-06T20:10:20Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2014-10 | |
| dc.description.abstract | The size of Australian Indigenous language centres varies from small programs with a single employment position up to large organisations which may involve several linguists, a manager and a range of support staff. This article is based on the linguist’s work at an organisation at the smaller end of the scale – Mirima Dawang Woorlabgerring Language and Culture Centre (MDWg), which operates out of Kununurra in the remote East Kimberley Region of Western Australia. Following a brief introduction to the context and history of language work at MDWg, the author sheds light on typical community expectations, which cover an array of different language-related and nonlinguistic tasks. In a scenario where the linguist and coordinator roles are assigned to a single person it becomes clear that the range of duties can be overwhelmingly diverse and go beyond anything a linguist is exposed to during his/her academic studies. The article proceeds by identifying a range of challenges for a linguist/coordinator, addressing issues such as efficiency, balance, burnout and career planning. For each challenge, possible solutions are offered, with the vision of turning challenge into opportunity. The article concludes with a set of recommendations directed at various stakeholders in the work of Indigenous language centres. *This paper is in the series The Role of Linguists in Indigenous Community Language Programs in Australia, edited by John Henderson. | |
| dc.description.sponsorship | National Foreign Language Resource Center | |
| dc.format.extent | 23 | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Olawsky, Knut J. 2014. Between duty statement and reality – The “Linguist/Coordinator” at an Australian Indigenous language centre. Language Documentation & Conservation 8. 361-383. | |
| dc.identifier.issn | 1934-5275 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10125/4614 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.publisher | University of Hawaii Press | |
| dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/ | |
| dc.subject | Australian languages | |
| dc.subject | Australian Indigenous language centre | |
| dc.subject | Indigenous community language program | |
| dc.title | Between duty statement and reality – The “Linguist/Coordinator” at an Australian Indigenous language centre | |
| dc.type | Article | |
| dc.type.dcmi | Text | |
| prism.endingpage | 383 | |
| prism.publicationname | Language Documentation & Conservation | |
| prism.startingpage | 361 | |
| prism.volume | 8 |