Students

LING2213 – Australia's Indigenous Languages

2022 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Joe Blythe
joe.blythe@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
40cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit aims to give students knowledge of the structure and use of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages within contemporary settings, as well as prior to European colonization. Students will study several specific Aboriginal languages in depth, as well as gaining a general knowledge of the linguistic prehistory of Australia, kinship and social organization, language and the land, multilingualism, language maintenance, language contact. Other topics to be covered include Aboriginal sign languages, Aboriginal song, Aboriginal conversation and narrative, language and the law, Aboriginal languages in Education and first language acquisition. Important ethical practices for conducting research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities will be a key focus throughout the unit.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Demonstrate a knowledge of phonological and grammatical structures of one or two indigenous languages.
  • ULO2: Analyse, evaluate and discuss the semantics of Australian Aboriginal kinship and social organisation.
  • ULO3: Articulate their understanding of the context of language contact in Australia especially with respect to multilingualism, pidgins, creoles, mixed languages and varieties of Aboriginal English.
  • ULO4: Understand, describe and apply ethical considerations regarding working with Aboriginal people when conducting research into their language and cultural practices.
  • ULO5: Effectively communicate to a range of audiences relevant topics such as language documentation and revitalisation, and linguistic diversity in indigenous Australia.

General Assessment Information

All requests for special consideration, including extensions, must be submitted via ASK.mq.edu.a u and provide suitable supporting documentation.

 

Late Assignment Submission

  • Late submissions without an extension will receive a penalty of 3% of the total mark available for the assessment task per day including weekend days (i.e. this is 3% of the total marks possible for the task – NOT 3% of the marks the student received. For example, if the assessment task is worth 100 marks and the student is two days late their mark for the task is reduced by 6 marks.)

  • Late submission of an assessment task without an extension will not be accepted at all after the date on which marked assessment tasks have been released to the rest of the class. Any student with unsubmitted work at this date will receive a mark of 0 for the assessment task.

  • Extensions will only be given in special circumstances, and can be requested by completing the Special Consideration request at ask.mq.edu.au and providing the requisite supporting documentation.

  • Extensions that will result in submissions after the assessment task has been returned to the class will require a separate assessment task to be completed at the unit convenor's discretion.

  • For more information on Special Consideration, see the university website https://student s.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration\

  • If a student fails the unit due to non-submission of an assignment or non-attendance at an exam, an FA grade will be applied in accordance with the University's Assessment Policy.

  • Unit convenors have the discretion to determine whether or not students should fail a unit on the basis of lateness penalties alone if other learning outcomes of the unit have been met.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Grammar reading task 10% No 11/3/2022
Kinship & Social Organisation 10% No 25/3/2022
Language contact task 10% No 8/4/2022
Morphosyntax task 20% No 29/4/2022
Annotated bibliography 10% No 6/5/2022
Final Essay 40% No 3/6/2022

Grammar reading task

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 4 hours
Due: 11/3/2022
Weighting: 10%

 

You must select a sketch grammar or reference grammar of an Australian Indigenous language. Provide a brief synopsis of one aspect of the grammar of your chosen language.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate a knowledge of phonological and grammatical structures of one or two indigenous languages.

Kinship & Social Organisation

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 5 hours
Due: 25/3/2022
Weighting: 10%

 

Analyse a problem relating to kinship and/or social organisation (Minimum of 400 words)

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Analyse, evaluate and discuss the semantics of Australian Aboriginal kinship and social organisation.
  • Understand, describe and apply ethical considerations regarding working with Aboriginal people when conducting research into their language and cultural practices.
  • Effectively communicate to a range of audiences relevant topics such as language documentation and revitalisation, and linguistic diversity in indigenous Australia.

Language contact task

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 6 hours
Due: 8/4/2022
Weighting: 10%

 

Analyse a problem relating to language contact (Maximum of 500 words)

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Articulate their understanding of the context of language contact in Australia especially with respect to multilingualism, pidgins, creoles, mixed languages and varieties of Aboriginal English.
  • Understand, describe and apply ethical considerations regarding working with Aboriginal people when conducting research into their language and cultural practices.
  • Effectively communicate to a range of audiences relevant topics such as language documentation and revitalisation, and linguistic diversity in indigenous Australia.

Morphosyntax task

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 29/4/2022
Weighting: 20%

 

A morphosyntax task relating to an Australian language (a morphological problem set).

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate a knowledge of phonological and grammatical structures of one or two indigenous languages.

Annotated bibliography

Assessment Type 1: Annotated bibliography
Indicative Time on Task 2: 6 hours
Due: 6/5/2022
Weighting: 10%

 

In preparation for the final essay, students will write a one paragraph relating to their chosen essay topic, and briefly summarise between 5-10 academic sources. (Equivalent to 600 words)

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate a knowledge of phonological and grammatical structures of one or two indigenous languages.
  • Understand, describe and apply ethical considerations regarding working with Aboriginal people when conducting research into their language and cultural practices.
  • Effectively communicate to a range of audiences relevant topics such as language documentation and revitalisation, and linguistic diversity in indigenous Australia.

Final Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 35 hours
Due: 3/6/2022
Weighting: 40%

 

Final essay (2000 words)

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate a knowledge of phonological and grammatical structures of one or two indigenous languages.
  • Understand, describe and apply ethical considerations regarding working with Aboriginal people when conducting research into their language and cultural practices.
  • Effectively communicate to a range of audiences relevant topics such as language documentation and revitalisation, and linguistic diversity in indigenous Australia.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

There are three contact hours for this unit. These will be taught as two one hour lectures and a tutorial. Lectures and tutorials will be delivered, face-to-face in - Tutorial Rm A208, 25 Wallys Walk. Two seminar slots have been booked between 2-4pm on Tuesdays and 3-5pm on Wednesdays. The first hour of the Tuesday seminar will be a lecture (2-3pm) and the second hour will be a tutorial (3-4pm). The first hour of the Wednesday seminar (3-4pm) will be a repeat of the Tuesday tutorial. The second hour of the Wednesday seminar will contain the second lecture (4-5pm). Lectures will be recorded but tutorials will not be recorded.

Students need to sign up to one of the tutorials and should attend one full (2 hour) seminar each week. Students are encouraged to attend both seminars but are not expected do the tutorial component twice.  

There is no set textbook for this unit. A list of readings will be made available via Leganto. See the i-learn site for the Leganto link.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2022.02 of the Handbook