Language centre as language revitalisation strategy: a case study from the Pilbara

Abstract

Community language centres are a significant feature of the language revitalisation landscape in Australia. In the early imaginings of community groups and language policy planners alike, language centres had vast potential to direct and coordinate language revitalisation efforts on a number of fronts. Over time language centres have evolved a very specific set of functions that constitute their language revitalisation process. This paper will examine several case that demonstrate the variety of approaches employed by Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre to respond to the different language situations in its region. Common elements emerge across the case studies such as the provision of specialists, training of language workers, coordination of research production, and maintenance of an accessible archive. These elements form the core of the language centre's own language revitalisation strategy, and determine the nature of the language centre's enduring role within a larger network of partners in the language revitalisation challenge.