Did you know in the last week, most of our visitors came from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and India? This underscores the fact that visitors to the Grammar Gang are a culturally and linguistically diverse group.
When I first started the Grammar Gang with my colleague, Linda Bergmann (from Purdue), I was a Language and Academic Adviser at the University of South Australia. My work with language, at that time, was about clarity of expression (aided by correct grammar and punctuation); appropriate tone or register in writing; understanding the task (essay or report?); introducing sources and referencing; explaining data and research and understanding structure (introductions/conclusions/topic sentences).
These days, my work has taken me to another sphere of influence in language, and that is language for inclusivity in a diverse world. This is linked to the work our team of Aboriginal tutors and I do with computer scientists, engineers and environmentalists in preparing them for professional practice.
To talk about language and diversity is a big BIG subject - way bigger than this post. However - with the help of some friends - I would like to start a conversation to which I hope you will add.
Written and spoken language are key conduits to a respectful environment and the mores and culture around these change over time. It is so very important for students to understand respect and protocols around language. If we don't attempt to get this right we can look a bit silly (at best) or unprofessional and disrespectful (at worst).
For example, where once it was regarded as acceptable to use the term 'Aboriginal tribes', a student would be encouraged to use the expression 'Aboriginal community'. Similarly, in Australia, we tend to refer to 'Aboriginal' and 'non-Aboriginal Australians' rather than names which are based on skin-colour - such as 'black' and 'white'. The acceptability of this can be very different across cultures.
Sarah Landers - one of our tutors at UniSA - developed a resource for students and others to use and here are a couple of slides to demonstrate respectful terms AND diversity in language:
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| Landers, S. 2011 'Appropriate Terminology for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People' |
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| Landers, S. 2011 'Appropriate Terminology for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People' |
Sometimes, though, context and history can make 'finding the right words' confusing. For example, the use of the term 'Indigenous' is ambiguous in Australia. Our Federal Government in Australia recognises this word (over the use of 'Aboriginal') because it encompasses Australians from the Torres Strait Islands who would not normally identify with the term 'Aboriginal'.
John Browne, Senior Academic Adviser in the Indigenous Student Support Unit at UniSA points out that South Australians much prefer the term 'Aboriginal' over the use of 'Indigenous'.
He said, 'Anyone can be "Indigenous" to a country if they are born there, but Ab-original denotes the "first Australians" prior to colonisation and since beginning of time'.
'Indigenous' is a more academic or official label implying anyone who was born in Australia, he said.
To make matters more interesting, there were many, many Aboriginal countries (or nations) prior to European Settlement in Australia. Some people may well refer to themselves as Ngarrindjeri; Kaurna or Pitjantjatjara, depending on what part of Australia they come from.
In our experience teaching in the Indigenous Content program, we find students are almost always well intentioned - even if sometimes they don't quite get it right. According to Sarah, using correct and respectful language is everybody's business and she says we all have a role to play in pointing out the right language. There is a simple bottom line: if you are unsure of the correct terminology, ask.
Now - over to you, dear readers. We would like to hear about your experiences with language and diversity - particularly as these things relate to culture. It's a BIG subject and a most interesting one.
