Aboriginal language preserved through app

Digital technology is being used to ensure the survival of endangered Aboriginal languages, NITV's David Liddle reports.

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For years linguists have been concerned about the survival of Indigenous languages in Australia.

Fewer than 20 Aboriginal languages are still thought to be spoken regularly.

Now the director of a museum in Brisbane has come up with a new way to save his mob's words.

And it's a very modern solution.

They set out collecting words and wrote a dictionary to preserve the Yugambeh language.

Today, Rory O'Connor is doing the same, 21st century style, with a downloadable mobile phone and computer app.

It's the first such Aboriginal app in Queensland and only the second in Australia.

"It's a great way to get young people activated and interested" he says.

"It's to get them comfortable with the Aboriginal language."

The Museum is also planning to add surrounding Aboriginal languages to the app.

The Museum app has had about 1000 downloads in the last two months and features 1000 words and growing.




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Aboriginal language preserved through app | SBS NITV