Cirrus@Austlit

'If I had listened to my grandmother I might have learnt the language, but in those days I wasn't interested.'

'Many people of Aboriginal decent have told me this, with deep regret. Now at last the tide has turned and some of the younger generation are eager to learn about the old languages and traditions. But for the majority of languages of the eastern and southern parts of Australia this change of attitude has come too late, as many are already extinct: in some cases there are only one or two elderly people left who have traditional knowledge, and usually there is no longer any hope of establishing a viable community of speakers.' (Introduction)