Rob Amery
Robert Amery | |
---|---|
Occupation | Linguist |
Years active | 1980s–present |
Notable work | Warra Kaurna Yalaka, Warra Kaurna Pukinangku (2016) |
Spouse | Mary-Anne Gale |
Robert Maxwell Amery (born 1954) is an Australian linguist and specialist in
Early life and education
Robert Maxwell Amery was born in 1954.[1]
Career
Amery began working in Aboriginal communities as a nurse, in 1980. After working for some time as an Aboriginal health worker educator, he started taking an interest in education when working in
In 1990, Amery created the first complete sentence in the Kaurna language known to people still alive.[3] In the early 1990s he worked as project officer for the Australian Indigenous Languages Framework.[2] During 1993 and 1994, he developed a national curriculum framework that allowed for the introduction of Indigenous language programs at senior secondary level.[4]
In June 1998 he completed a PhD at the University of Adelaide on the reclamation of Kaurna, with his thesis "Warrabarna Kaurna: Reclaiming Aboriginal Languages from Written Historical Sources: A Kaurna Case Study".[2]
In the early 2000s, Amery taught the Kaurna language to
In 2002, along with
In July 2016, he travelled to
In July 2017, the NAIDOC Week theme was "Our Languages Matter", and Amery spoke about Aboriginal languages on ABC Radio.[7]
In 2019 Amery told an SA Aboriginal Lands Parliamentary Standing Committee that outcomes for Kaurna language programs were much better in the mid-1990s than they are by 2019, partly due to increasing focus on NAPLAN, and little incentive for or provision of professional development for Kaurna teachers.[5]
As of December 2023[update] Amery is associate professor/reader at the University of Adelaide.
Research interests
Amery lists his research interests as:[2]
- Kaurna language and linguistics
- Language reclamationand the formulaic method
- Indigenous languages in schools
- Language planning and language revival
- Language modernisation and development
- Linguistic vitality
- Endangered languages
- Linguistics and health (communicating Western health concepts in Indigenous languages)
Major publications
Amery's thesis was slightly revised and republished in the Netherlands in 2000, as Warrabarna Kaurna: Reclaiming an Australian Language,[2] and republished in 2016 "with revised spellings, additional chapter discussing developments since 2000 and reworked Conclusions".[2] This edition is available as a free ebook.[8]
Other published books include:[2]
- WARRA KAURNA: A Resource for Kaurna Language Programs. 3rd edition revised and expanded (2003); revised as Warra Kaurna Yalaka, Warra Kaurna Pukinangku. Kaurna Language Today, Kaurna Language from Long Ago (2016)
- With Alice Wallara Rigney, Nelson Varcoe, Chester Schultz, and Kaurna Warra Pintyandi. Kaurna Palti Wonga – Kaurna Funeral Protocols (2006)
- With Jane Simpson. Kulurdu Marni Ngathaitya! Sounds Good to me! A Kaurna Learner's Guide (2013)
- As editor, with Joshua Nash. Warra Wiltaniappendi – Strengthening Languages. Proceedings of the Inaugural Indigenous Languages Conference (ILC) 2007 (2008)
Amery has also published numerous articles, book chapters, course notes, reports, and other works, some of which are co-authored with Mary-Anne Gale and
Personal life
Amery is married to Ngarrindjeri linguist Mary-Anne Gale.[9]
References
- ^ "Amery, Rob (1954-)". Trove. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Associate Professor Rob Amery". University of Adelaide Staff Directory. 29 March 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ "Reviving an indigenous language dormant for 150 years". The Lead South Australia. 25 June 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Re-Awakening Kaurna, the language of the Adelaide Plains". Alumni and Giving. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ a b Richards, Stephanie (25 October 2019). ""Dreadful" decline in Kaurna language teaching". InDaily. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Associate Professor Robert Amery". University of Adelaide Researcher Profiles. 10 November 2006. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ABC Listen(Interview). Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ISBN 978-1-925261-24-0. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ Marchant, Gabriella (11 July 2021). "Aboriginal languages making comeback through new training program and dictionaries". ABC News. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
External links
- Rob Amery on AustLit
- Taking Indigenous languages seriously, with Prof Rob Amery, a Medical Journal of Australia podcast (Volume 207, Issue 1, 14 December 2023) 21:45m