Carmel O'Shannessy

My research is in language contact and the acquisition of Australian languages in contact settings. My research combines the documentation of Light Warlpiri, a newly emerged mixed language spoken in the Warlpiri community of Lajamanu, in the Tanami Desert, northern Australia, and children’s acquisition of this and their traditional language, Warlpiri. I have been involved with languages and education in remote Indigenous communities in Australia since 1996, in the areas of bilingual education and my research.

My current project is an ARC Future Fellowship project: ‘Tracking language development of Indigenous children in Central Australia’ or Little Kids Learning Languages. It aims to identify the language development paths of Indigenous children in Central Australia by examining the spoken language, sign and gesture of children’s early interactions. The project involves PhD student Joshua Roberts, and we work collaboratively with First Peoples researchers at the Tangentyere Research Hub and Red Dust Role Models as partners. Interested stakeholders include Children's Ground and Central Australia Aboriginal Congress.

An online word list of children's early words in Eastern & Central Arrernte, Western Arrarnta, Warlpiri and English is in progress.

Light Warlpiri is a new way of speaking that the speakers developed from ways that others spoke to them. It developed in a two-step process - in step 1, adults spoke to children in a ways that combined Warlpiri, English and parts of Kriol; and in step 2, the children made the way of speaking very systematic and brought in new patterns.

The speakers are very creative and their new way of speaking has elements that are unique to Light Warlpiri, as well as clear patterns and rules. The speakers also learn and speak Warlpiri and they have clear differences between the two ways of speaking, as well as overlaps. Light Warlpiri has a lot of Warlpiri in it. Part of the structure of Warlpiri is that nouns have word endings, and all of these word endings are in Light Warlpiri.

The most interesting aspect of Light Warlpiri grammar is an innovative auxiliary system, which draws on Warlpiri, and varieties of English or Kriol. The auxiliary word shapes are derived from English and Kriol. The meanings and structure have changed, so that the structure of the auxiliary paradigm is not the same as that in any of the source languages. Light Warlpiri has formal modal categories of nonfuture - future or realis - irrealis, influenced by Warlpiri modal semantics. Some verbs also show innovations, by combining Warlpiri stems with Aboriginal English or Kriol transitive affixes.

The role of children in internalising and developing Light Warlpiri, and children's acquisition of both Light Warlpiri, and Warlpiri, are particularly interesting. Young adults and children in Lajamanu are multilingual, as they speak Warlpiri, Light Warlpiri and varieties of English and Kriol.

Examples of Light Warlpiri

Dem run back rarralykaji-kirra jarntu an yapa-wat ngapa-kujaku.
‘The people and the dog ran back to the car to get out of the rain.’

Kala nyarrpara-rla nyuntuju yum bugi?
‘But where did you swim?’

Yum winjirnim hap-wan kujang.
‘You spilled some of it, like that.’

English or Kriol = plain font, Warlpiri elements = italics, New structures = bold