It's a world of constant tensions

: lecturers' views on language choice and language use by Aboriginal students at Northern Territory University

Abstract

This paper describes the major findings of interiews conducted with eIeven lecturers on their perceptions of Aboriginal student's use of language at the Northern Territory University. It explores lecturers' views on Aboriginality and on the way students use language in class. It shows that some lecturers view 'correct' grammatical structure as the major concern in student's ways with words. It outlines definitions of Aboriginal English and subsequently highlights lecturers' 'in­-principle' acceptance of its usage in oral contexts at Northern Territory University. Finally, it argues that explicit institutional support for Aboriginal cultures and Aboriginal English will encourage students to view language learning as adding discourse strategies to their existing repertoire. This will militate against the pressure currently felt by Aboriginal students to forfeit their cultural identity in order to achieve success.

Date of Award	1991
Original language	English