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Article published In:
Australian Review of Applied Linguistics
Vol. 46:1 (2023) ► pp.76–98

Should Munanga learn Kriol?

Exploring attitudes to non-Indigenous acquisition of Kriol language in Ngukurr

ORCID logo | Australian National University | University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
ORCID logo | Australian National University | Charles Darwin University
Kriol, an English-lexifier contact language, has approximately 20,000 speakers across northern Australia. It is the primary language of the remote Aboriginal community of Ngukurr. Kriol is a contact language, incorporating features of English and traditional Indigenous languages. The language has been perceived both positively and negatively, although recent literature suggests a shift towards more favorable views. This paper investigates how community members in Ngukurr responded to the question of non-Indigenous residents (known locally as Munanga) learning Kriol. Interviews with local Indigenous residents showed positive attitudes to Kriol, with respondents providing a number of perceived benefits for outsiders learning the language. Our interviews provide empirical evidence for pride in the language, affirming a shift to more positive attitudes.
Keywords: Kriol, language attitudes, language acquisition, Indigenous Australian languages, contact languages
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1About Kriol
    • 1.2Attitudes towards Kriol
    • 1.3Ngukurr today and motivations for the present study
  • 2.Research method
    • 2.1Research purpose and scope
    • 2.2Participants
    • 2.3Interview process and analysis
  • 3.Findings
    • 3.1Should Munanga learn Kriol?
    • 3.2Improved communication
    • 3.3Reciprocal learning
    • 3.4Teaching and learning Kriol
    • 3.5Communication style
    • 3.6Attitudes to Kriol
    • 3.7Insider language
  • 4.Discussion
    • 4.1Breaking down the key question
    • 4.2Limitations of the study
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 26 July 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.20084.hen
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