On a purely clinical note languages survive when people use them for daily communication. When a native speaker has no one to talk to then his knowledge of the language and idioms evaporate.

In New Zealand, there has been a push to introduce all school children to the Maori language including a few months in Junior school. Recently the greens here proposed that Maori be taught as a 2nd language at all high schools. This was quickly dispelled when the numbers showed that there weren't enough people fluent in Maori to allocate one teacher per school and that by separating fluent Maori speakers from each other would only hasten its demise.

The main reason that most people chose other languages to study such as French, German, Italian, Chinese, etc is that they will get some use out of knowing the language.

The extinction of these languages may be slowed but not stopped.

Sadly we do not have the advantage of compactness in Oz with the Indigenous population spread over vast areas. Getting children to attend school is an issue in itself in more remote locations. Indigenous folk across the board must want to do this, it will never happen if it is just confined to isolated pockets, it will become of academic interest at best. I am not a doomsayer but having visited and seen so many abortive efforts to establish something that was seen to be good over many years it is hard to see how teaching a common language to such disparate groups will work any better. It may have some hope in the cities. Worth a try. Take it easy. SD

I remember how I used to complain to my parents
when they forced me to learn the Lithuanian
language. However it helped me when I went to Uni
and during my class in phonetics the lecturer asked
if anyone spoke Lithuanian? I put up my hand. It was
an educational experience for me and I learned the
importance of languages.

http://lithuaniatribune.com/facts-about-the-lithuanian-language/#

shadowminister,

Thank you for starting this topic for discussion.
It brings back so many memories.

I remember when we were forced to read the epic poem,
"Beowulf," and how at first I found it extremely difficult.
Eventually I found that reading Beowulf gave me insight into
how literature evolved from the Middle Ages.

"Beowulf helped
scholars trace the evolution of the English language as well as
study the norms and traditions of the Anglo-Saxons in the
Medieval period. It gives a glimpse of England's history and
the earliest form of literature of the people of England."

Wouldn't it be great if we also could form a better understanding
with the norms and traditions of our Indigenous people through
language.

Any language that doesn't have words for alcohol and welfare payment, is obviously going to be rejected by a certain segment of the so-called First-nations people.

And who introduced the alcohol and welfare payments to
our First Nations people.

Shame on you.