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National: October Conference |AUSTRALEX | Database Development | Research Friends

State based initiatives: Aboriginal Placenames Workshops

AUSTRALEX

In line with the 2005 theme of “Lexicon and Culture”, the ANPS presented a special session at the biennial AUSTRALEX (Australasian Association for Lexicography) conference. The conference was held on Monday 12 July, hosted by the Department of Linguistics, University of Sydney and the Department of Linguistics and Dictionary Research Centre, Macquarie University.

The ANPS session was a panel chaired by David Blair (ANPS, Director) and included presentations by Clair Hill (ANPS, Research Associate), Dr Jan Tent (ANPS, Research Associate), Flavia Hodges (ANPS, Research Fellow).

Clair’s and Jan’s presentations outlined their current research projects and preliminary data, providing case studies of placenames in the indigenous network and names in the introduced system. Clair gave an overview of the ways in which placenames are formed and their range of meanings in two closely related indigenous languages from east coast of Cape York Peninsula – Umpila and Kuuku Ya’u. Jan provided data and analysis on Dutch and Dutch-related names throughout Australia.

Flavia reported on the current program of workshops, encouraging the investigation of placenames of Indigenous origin in regional NSW by Aboriginal community members and linguists. David Blair talked about development of, and issues surrounding, the ANPS national database, facilitating the gathering of standardised information about the history, origin and meaning of both indigenous and introduced placenames.

To find out more details about this and previous conferences visit the AUSTRALEX website.

Susan Poetsch, Clair Hill and Dr Jan Tent

Irene Poinkin, Susan Butler and David Blair

Dr Jan Tent and Dr Ghil'ad Zuckermann