Wirangu and Gugada - the survival prospects of two neighbouring Australian languages

Abstract

This paper reports on current language projects involving Indigenous Australian languages spoken on the Far West Coast of South Australia. It explores the survival chances of two neighbouring languages against a background of contemporary political, social and linguistic attitudes and events. The Far West Coast is a remote region in which Australian speech varieties such as Pitjantjatjara, Gugada and Wirangu are spoken. Pitjantjatjara is a relatively strong and influential dialect of the WesternDesert language, spoken over a vast area of inland Australia. Gugada is a closely related dialect, but with only a few remaining speakers. Wirangu is a separate (distantly related) language that has only two remaining speakers. Nearly all of the people who identify as Gugada or Wirangu are fluent in English. Preservation work has been underway for two years on Gugada and Wirangu, involving archival research, field recording, producing paper and digital materials (books and films of cultural activities, talking dictionaries) and establishing a permanent language museum space. Given the region’s social and linguistic history, it might be argued that Gugada stands a better chance of survival than does Wirangu. Wirangu, for instance, has long been under pressure from both Western Desert varieties as well as English, while Gugada is arguably bolstered by the relative strength of Pitjantjatjara and the Western Desert language more generally. But is this necessarily so? In the context of fiercely contested land politics, economic constraints and linguistic difference, it might argued that Wirangu stands a better chance of survival than does Gugada. This paper explores the survival options and possible outcomes for both Wirangu and Gugada.