A research paper by a Charles Sturt University (CSU) PhD student highlights opportunities for the revitalisation of Indigenous languages and areas for further support and investment.

Ms Sarah Verdon, a speech pathology student at the CSU School of Teacher Education, will deliver her paper at the Speech Pathology Australia 2014 National Conference in Melbourne on Monday 19 May. The conference runs from Sunday 18 to Wednesday 21 May.

The paper, Intergenerational exchange and maintenance of language among Australian Indigenous children, reports the findings of research on a group of 580 Australian Indigenous children and their parents from Footprints in Time: The Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC).

The research was conducted over four years during early childhood and looks at patterns of language use and maintenance among the children.

"These data are very pertinent at the moment as the 'National Indigenous Languages Policy' instigated in 2009 seeks to provide opportunities for language revitalisation among Indigenous communities," Ms Verdon said. "These data provide information about the extent to which language maintenance is occurring and areas where further support and investment are needed."

The key research findings are:

-                  Children in the study spoke between one and six languages.

-                  21.6 per cent of children in the study were multilingual at three to five years of age.

-                  Indigenous children in the study were found to speak a range of languages including English, Indigenous languages, creoles, foreign and sign languages.

-                  Around one in five Indigenous children in the study spoke an Indigenous language in some capacity.

-                  Over three quarters of children who learned an Indigenous language from birth maintained speaking an Indigenous language throughout early childhood.

-                  Maintenance of an Indigenous language throughout early childhood was significantly associated with having a primary caregiver who spoke an Indigenous language and living in more remote geographical locations.

-                  Gender was not found to be significantly related to Indigenous language maintenance in early childhood.

-                  Rates of both multilingualism and the level of language maintenance were high among Indigenous children.

Ms Verdon said, "I am not an Indigenous person and therefore always speak with caution when making comment about Indigenous children and issues that may be of a culturally sensitive nature."However, the findings of this paper have been carefully reported in conjunction with members of the LSIC team and I feel they present a positive story of language exchange practices occurring among Indigenous children."

Ms Verdon presents her paper on Monday 19 May at the Speech Pathology Australia 2014 National Conference at the Crown Conference Centre in Melbourne, Victoria (Sunday 18 to Wednesday 21 May). 

The PhD student is also a member of the University's Research Institute for Professional Practice, Learning and Education (RIPPLE).