<span style="font-family: georgia,serif;">Gathang dictionary hoped to lead a revival of the language</span><br style="font-family: georgia,serif;"><br style="font-family: georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia,serif;">TONI BELL</span><br style="font-family: georgia,serif;">
<span style="font-family: georgia,serif;">14 Sep, 2010 12:00 AM</span><br style="font-family: georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia,serif;">Australia</span><br style="font-family: georgia,serif;"><br style="font-family: georgia,serif;">
<span style="font-family: georgia,serif;">IN the 1960s, when a young Swedish linguist, Nils Holmer, was researching Australian Aboriginal languages he was lucky enough to meet Biripi elder Eddie Lobban, the last known fully fluent speaker of Taree's local native tongue.</span><br style="font-family: georgia,serif;">
<br style="font-family: georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia,serif;">Quite a few other Biripi people were, and still are, conversant in single words and phrases but the language was largely unspoken by the time the academic and the elder sat down to record it.</span><br style="font-family: georgia,serif;">
<br style="font-family: georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia,serif;">Today in Purfleet, a very special event is taking place with the launch of a dictionary of the Gathang language, which comprises the dialects of a large group of Aboriginal people from Port Stephens to Port Macquarie, including Biripi and Worimi.</span><br style="font-family: georgia,serif;">
<br style="font-family: georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia,serif;">Access full article below:</span><br style="font-family: georgia,serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia,serif;"><a href="http://www.manningrivertimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/gathang-dictionary-hoped-to-lead-a-revival-of-the-language/1940821.aspx">http://www.manningrivertimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/gathang-dictionary-hoped-to-lead-a-revival-of-the-language/1940821.aspx</a></span><br style="font-family: georgia,serif;">