Children invent new language in remote NT community (fwd link)

[Phil Cash Cash]

Children invent new language in remote NT community
DateJuly 16, 2013 - 1:58PM


Nicholas Bakalar

There are many dying languages in the world. But at least one has recently
been born, created by children living in a remote village in the Northern
Terrritory.


Carmel O'Shannessy, a linguist at the University of Michigan, has been
studying the young people's speech for more than a decade and has concluded
that they speak neither a dialect nor the mixture of languages called a
creole, but a new language with unique grammatical rules.


The language, called Warlpiri rampaku, or Light Warlpiri, is spoken only by
people under 35 in Lajamanu, an isolated community of about 700 people in
the Northern Territory. In all, about 350 people speak the language as
their native tongue. O'Shannessy has published several studies of Light
Warlpiri, the most recent in the June issue of*Language*.

Access full article below:
http://www.smh.com.au/national/children-invent-new-language-in-remote-nt-community-20130716-2q1k6.html#ixzz2ZFPGuRmx
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