Journal article
Records of Pacific Languages: Where Are They and Who Can See Them
Nicholas Thieberger
Department of Pacific Affairs In Brief series | Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University | Published : 2025
DOI: 10.25911/4Q9D-VM92
Abstract
Australian researchers have a long tradition of working in the Pacific and Papua New Guinea. University-based linguists in particular have been travelling since the 1960s to remote parts of the region to learn some of the nearly 2,000 languages spoken there. Most of these languages continue to be spoken, in defiance of the colonial monolingual enterprise that considers them an impediment to progress. A language may provide a source of identity, but multilingualism, the ability to speak or understand other languages, is normal, and is valued. Despite this value, rising rates of migration and urbanisation are contributing to the decline in use of local languages. This increases the urgency of ..
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