Cirrus@Austlit

'Celebrating the diverse languages of Australia's First Peoples, this book presents stories told by elders in eighteen languages from around the continent, and explores their patterns of meaning.

'The stories recount the experiences of the tellers and histories of their communities, from tales of anti-colonial resistance to origin stories of the Dreaming. The book aims to make the languages accessible and engaging through the voices of the elders, while building readers' knowledge about language and language learning. It opens with some basic language knowledge for reading the stories. Each chapter then begins with the cultural and historical contexts of the stories, which are first previewed in English translation, then presented sentence-by-sentence, setting out the original sounds and wordings, glossed with plain English. Extracts are selected to illustrate patterns of meanings that are characteristic of each language. The final chapter sums up the various meaning patterns the stories use, and interprets their evolution in the light of First Peoples' deep histories, as recorded by archaeology and traditional knowledge.

The book will be useful for language learning programs in communities and schools, for researchers of language and language teaching, and for any reader with an interest in the languages and cultures of Australia's First Peoples.' (Publication summary)

'‘Voices of young people is a moving account of young Africans’ resettlement experience in Australia. Well researched, analysed and written, it is an inspiring tale of human struggle, resilience and achievement. It reminds us all of our common humanity and mutual obligation towards each other, where the well-off and strong have a responsibility to assist the vulnerable and needy.’ – Cardinal Berhaneyesus D. Souraphiel CM, Chancellor, Ethiopian Catholic University, Addis Ababa

'‘Highly topical and relevant also in the European context, Voices of Young People is a powerful and insightful portrayal of human resettlement. It illustrates the achievements and great potential of young migrants to make significant contributions in their newly adopted country. By implication, it also advocates for more positive and inclusive attitudes in the community towards new arrivals.’ – Gabriele Stark-Angermeier, Deputy Director, Caritasverband der Erzdiözese München und Freising e.V., München.

'‘By letting young African migrants speak for themselves, this book illuminates the complex interplay between individual behaviour and the supportive family, societal and organisational structures a migrant needs in order to achieve and flourish in Western society.’ – Professor Getnet Tadele, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa

'‘These powerful stories of young Africans’ lived experiences in Melbourne examine the phases of migration that led to the improvement of their lives and ultimately their impressive achievements. Inspiring and realistic, this study affirms the importance of early provisions of support and the necessity of well-targeted, on-going resettlement assistance at all institutional levels, to aid both host families and young people themselves.’ – Smaragda Piskopos, Student Welfare Coordinator, English Language School Braybrook, Melbourne'  (Publication summary)