Languages on Papua vanish without a whisper

Who will speak Iniai in 2050? Or Faiwol? Moskona? Wahgi? Probably no-one, as the languages of New Guinea — the world’s greatest linguistic reservoir — are disappearing in a tide of indifference. New Guinea is home to more than 1,000 languages — around 800 in Papua New Guinea and 200 in Indonesian Papua — but most have fewer than 1,000 speakers, often centred around a village or cluster of hamlets. The most widely-spoken language is Enga, with around 200,000 speakers in the highlands of central PNG, followed by Melpa and Huli.
More than 200 languages have become extinct around the world over the last three generations and 2,500 others are under threat, according to a UNESCO list of endangered languages, out of a total of 6,000.

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Yiddish, a fusion of languages

Yiddish is a Germanic language, and its main speakers are Ashkenazi Jews in the United States, Israel and in many countries in Eastern Europe, with a smaller number of speakers scattered throughout the rest of the world. Over time, Yiddish evolved and became two different dialects: Western Yiddish, which was spoken in Central Europe in the 18th century, and Eastern Yiddish spoken in Eastern Europe, in what used to be the USSR. Yiddish is the fusion of three linguistic components: the Germanic, Slavic and Semitic. In addition to the vocabulary, these three elements have contributed to the phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics of this language.

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NSW Government announces funding for Aboriginal Language Centre

Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Victor Dominello MP has announced funding for the creation of the Centre for Aboriginal Languages Coordination and Development (CALCD). "I share the view of Aboriginal communities that reclaiming and maintaining Aboriginal language and culture is imperative, as it instills a greater sense of identity, pride and confidence in people and leads to increased school attendance and participation....We have listened to members of numerous Aboriginal communities and we are pleased to redirect funds from the bureaucracy to this community-based Aboriginal organisation to focus on language revitalisation," Minister Dominello said.

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Saving Language - ABC New England North West NSW - Australian Broadcasting Corporation

LOUISA REBGETZ, PRESENTER: A new push is underway to save the Northern Territory's Indigenous languages. The Northern Territory Library is launching a range of children's books that capture Indigenous stories in Indigenous languages. And in the community of Elliott about half way between Alice Springs and Darwin the new books are having a big impact. Laetitia Lemke reports.

Saving Language - ABC New England North West NSW - Australian Broadcasting Corporation