Aboriginal linguistic exchange in Darwin

John Mansfeld University of Melbourne Outline

1. Darwin and the Aboriginal homelands

2. Murrinhpatha in the Daly region

3. Visiting Darwin

4. Settling in Darwin

5. Recontextualising multilingual exchange Darwin

receptive multilingualism receptive (Irvine 1989)

exchange’ ‘linguistic goods may enter the marketplace as objects of ‘linguistic goods may Language is a valued, proprietary medium of exchange medium a valued, proprietary Language is Tradition of Tradition Harris 2016; Evans 2018) & Nash 2008; Singer & (Sutton 1978; Wilkins

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• Northern Australia Darwin

‘Colonial outpost’ now pop. 150,000 ‘Colonial outpost’ Darwin settlement c. 1900 Darwin settlement

• • Darwin f

Other Aboriginal people expelled Other Aboriginal fenced o people fenced Larrakia

• • Darwin Darwin

eld in press) f

(Maningrida, Warruwi) Some maintain multilingualism 2018) 2016; Vaughn (Elwell 1982; Singer and Harris (Mans languages still dominant Trad Homelands: linguistic ecologies regional of Convergence

• • Murrinhpatha

Peppimenarti, Nauiyu, etc: 300 Peppimenarti, Nauiyu, Nganmarriyanga: 400 Nganmarriyanga: Wadeye: 2300 Wadeye:

Regional convergence Marri Tjevin, Murrinh Kura, Ngan’gityemerri) (Marri Ngarr, • • 3000 speakers •

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• Murrinhpatha world Murrinhpatha Murrinhpatha

Murrinhpatha

Various ethnographic asides (Sansom 1980; Day 2001; ethnographic Various Burke 2018) 2021) & Collard in Perth (Rodriguez Louro Ab English

• Related research: • (Murrinhpatha bias) (Murrinhpatha Aboriginal languages in Darwin Aboriginal languages

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• This study This Murrinhpatha

Limitations on recording Interviews (English, MP); Participant observation MP); Participant Interviews (English, Starting from Murrinhpatha contacts Murrinhpatha Starting from Fieldwork: 4 months, 2018-2020 Fieldwork:

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• • Holiday in Darwin

Predominantly middle-aged visitors Predominantly Novel urban experiences Novel urban Relief from stresses of homeland settlement of homeland stresses Relief from 2009) Austin-Broos (Peterson 1993;

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• Holiday in Darwin in Holiday Holiday in Darwin ) langkrath

Non-normative urban experience: Non-normative urban camping, foraging ‘Long-grassing’ (Murrinhpatha: ‘Long-grassing’ Stay with kin

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Holiday in Darwin Casuarina shopping centre shopping Casuarina • Holiday in Darwin ‘wasting one’s spirit’ ‘wasting one’s

ngepan derranganputh

Positive side: camaraderie, sociality Positive side: camaraderie, misconceptions) (mainstream Pejorative views • Park drinking

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• • Holiday in Darwin 1 Warlpiri + speaker 1 Warlpiri ŋu) speakers (Yol 2 Djambarrpuyngu 2-3 Burarra speakers 3 Murrinhpatha speakers 3 Murrinhpatha rst encounter with linguistic exchange in Darwin in Darwin exchange with linguistic rst encounter f

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Using traditional languages + Kriol/English fallback Using traditional languages Marriage connections men and women near Casuarina beach; middle-aged Drinking party

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• My Holiday in Darwin angwura! nangart! nanthi beg thungku! Holiday in Darwin

re / lighter’ re re / lighter’ re f f ‘ ‘

‘grab my bag for me!’ nanthi beg na-nga-art nanthi beg thing bag hand.2SG.IRR-1SG.DAT-get angwura thungku

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• • Holiday in Darwin

Language use accumulates social capital Language use accumulates a social connection realise languages Traditional Why not just use English/Kriol the whole time? use English/Kriol the Why not just

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• • Holiday in Darwin manymak ngarili gurrtha (yaka) bayngu nganitji mupthi! Murrinhpatha mi-gathu thungku mami kura larrk Kunwinjku baki bol ginyagara bugula guwa! Burarra djambaka angbarriya! anija guwa! Anindilyakwa dambakwa angwura nara

waithere! comehere! down!sit drink(n.) good,okay none, nothing water, tobacco lighter Diplomatic vocabulary Diplomatic Holiday in Darwin closed’ ‘it’s ‘keep going / see you later’ ‘keep going / see you ‘brother’

puy-ya! Some ‘crossing’: pule dendharl pirrim Understand verbs Understand Full reciprocal multilingualism at Casuarina shopping at Casuarina shopping multilingualism Full reciprocal centre in Wadeye relatives man, visited Wadjiginy

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• With Kriol… With Settling in Darwin

Receptive multilingualism, Kriol fallback Receptive multilingualism, E.g. Wadjiginy / Murrinhpatha in Darwin 20 years, in Darwin 20 / Murrinhpatha E.g. Wadjiginy raised 6 children Town camps, some suburbs camps, some Town

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• Settling in Darwin in Settling Settling in Darwin Settling in Darwin

Wadjiginy/Murrinhpatha <=> Wadjiginy/Murrinhpatha Next generation… • Settling in Darwin tje mammath a i u y languages a u u i Tiw Tiw Wubu Kunwinjk Yolng △ Adult learning of polysynthetic △ △ Murrinhpath △ △ Kunwinjk = △ = = ○ ○ ○ = △ = = Murrinhpath ○ ○ ○ = △ ○ = ○ Wadjiginy Wadjiginy Kuninjku Burarra Tiwi Murrinhpatha Murrinhpatha Murrinhpatha Anindilyakwa marriages multilingual Receptive Settling in Darwin

Darwin E.g. Tiwi <=> Murrinhpatha middle-aged men working in men working Murrinhpatha middle-aged E.g. Tiwi <=> multilingualism inherit (receptive) of marriage Children

• • Settling in Darwin nal kin f cult f

Magical process initiated by a Magical process Listening Not di

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• How to adults learnHow to adults language? Settling in Darwin ] . . ?

of years they come back, they started speaking that language that speaking started they back, come they of years they were getting it, they can speak it [Warlpiri]. … They sing They … [Warlpiri]. it speak can they it, getting were they couple a and back, went both they 18 and turned only They people. They sent them back to their father’s [homeland], which is Lajamanu, is Lajamanu, which [homeland], father’s their to back them sent They And as language. the speaking about know didn't anything they and [Two girls who had missed out on learning their father’s language… father’s their on learning out who missed girls had [Two May: Quick way – Quick May: tongue Sing the them. sing can or they Doris: Listening, JM: How you learn did Recontextualising

, (Brandl & Walsh 1982) (Brandl & Walsh (Bourdieu 1977; Coulmas 1992) (Bourdieu (Sansom 1988; Irvine 1989; Merlan 1991) (Sansom 1988; Irvine 1989; Merlan

Not commercial capital Not commercial but social capital Egalitarian valuation of languages valuation of languages Egalitarian Multilingual exchange is a traditional practice exchange is a traditional Multilingual

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linguistic exchange linguistic Recontexualising Recontexualising Recontextualising

more partial learning? more

English/Kriol as a fallback weak social ties More → scale than before geographic Greater

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• • Recontextualising

Languages are fungible beyond heredity fungible beyond Languages are Settlement identity grants right to exchange identity grants right to Settlement vibrant in homelands that remain Only languages

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• • Summary

• Aboriginal homelands people as cultural and linguistic outsiders in Darwin

• Ramifying social networks with linguistic exchange • Darwin holiday multilingual encounters • Receptive multilingual marriages • Exchange spreads through network