Migrant languages tend to disappear by the third generation. It's an alarming trend — and one these people are fighting.
Billy always spoke a smattering of Gamilaraay words, but growing up Aboriginal in small town Collarenebri in north west NSW,"language was in some ways the most difficult thing to access".
"My mob were told you can't talk it, don't you dare speak that, even don't say you're Aboriginal, even that far."For Billy, speaking his language is about identity.Holding onto his language involves much higher stakes for Billy compared to Gaby and Alexia, or Nii.But according to the 2016 Census, there are only 105 speakers of Gamilaraay.And that raises an important question for all of us living in multicultural Australia.
If language is key to people's cultural identity, doesn't it make sense that we value our rich multilingualism?Her language not only connects her to her nonna, but also gives her an understanding of different cultures."When we were younger, we didn't think anything of going to Italy," she says. She's now 30, and understands that living in Italy as a kid was also about experiencing a different culture, which is why she's determined to pass Italian on to the next generation.
That would mean that four generations of Caras speak Italian — a small yet significant contribution to countering the image of Australia as a"graveyard of languages."Sign up
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