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This page contains some hints on how to learn a (mostly) unwritten language.
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It is good to ask bininj for advice; a whitefella acknowledging their ignorance is like a breath of fresh air for many Aboriginal people.
But be careful not to bombard people with questions... it starts to feel like a test.
Open questions are generally better, e.g. not "when was Gunbalanya founded?" but rather "can you tell me about this place?"
It is tempting for westerners to engage in "inquiry learning", interrogating the material, understanding it through questioning.▼
In many Indigenous cultures this is not an effective way of working with local people to learn the language.▼
"A [balanda] and a [bininj] sitting down for the first time for language study experience considerable discomfort.▼
Each one realizes that he is confronting a human being in a situation which is abnormal. ...▼
Sustained questioning is probably restricted in all societies to a limited number of settings.▼
In our own we can imagine being questioned by a physician, highway patrolman, income tax controller, census taker, personnel manager, bank mortgage representative, and so on.▼
This list of interrogators points out a significant fact about these settings: that the person opposite us is in some official capacity...▼
in this setting we are passive and vulnerable.▼
This is no less true when the questions are put by those with whom we are otherwise on intimate terms, our parents or our spouses, for example.▼
A university student finds little pleasure in being asked a long series of questions by members of his family about his year away in school.▼
In our society one therefore avoids every semblance of a formal interview...▼
Immediate attention must be given to the elimination of anxieties, for anxieties constitute a substantial obstacle to effective communication. ...▼
The forms it takes are numerous, but its function is always to protect the ego from exposure and vulnerability.▼
A person who feels ill at ease in some situation is one who is not certain if he can handle himself to his own satisfaction. ...▼
Anxieties can also be induced by making the [bininj] believe he is being tested or that he is inferior by comparison with the [balanda]." --- William Samarin (1967) ''Field Linguistics''.▼
== Leave your comfort zone ==
You might be tempted to seek out written materials, but this complicates the task of understanding spontaneous speech in real life situations.
It is better to shift your orientation and face some initial discomfort, as suggested in the following table (moving from left to right).
[[File:Learning in the wild.jpg|border|600px|Desired behavioural changes for effective learning of an oral language and culture]]
NB. ''It's not about permanently leaving your comfort zone, but just leaving it from time to time.''
Many people assume a two step process: (1) learn the language through intensive study; then (2) apply what you've learnt with people.
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--- Sarah Gudschinsky (1967) How to Learn an Unwritten Language, page 4
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Just because someone speaks Kunwok doesn't make them a good teacher.
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Sometimes it's easier to focus on learning cultural things, and picking up language alongside that.
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▲It is tempting for westerners to engage in "inquiry learning", interrogating the material, understanding it through questioning.
▲In many Indigenous cultures this is not an effective way of working with local to learn the language.
▲It is also not an effective way to learn to speak a language.
▲"A [balanda] and a [bininj] sitting down for the first time for language study experience considerable discomfort.
▲Each one realizes that he is confronting a human being in a situation which is abnormal. ...
▲Sustained questioning is probably restricted in all societies to a limited number of settings.
▲In our own we can imagine being questioned by a physician, highway patrolman, income tax controller, census taker, personnel manager, bank mortgage representative, and so on.
▲This list of interrogators points out a significant fact about these settings: that the person opposite us is in some official capacity...
▲in this setting we are passive and vulnerable.
▲This is no less true when the questions are put by those with whom we are otherwise on intimate terms, our parents or our spouses, for example.
▲A university student finds little pleasure in being asked a long series of questions by members of his family about his year away in school.
▲In our society one therefore avoids every semblance of a formal interview...
▲Immediate attention must be given to the elimination of anxieties, for anxieties constitute a substantial obstacle to effective communication. ...
▲The forms it takes are numerous, but its function is always to protect the ego from exposure and vulnerability.
▲A person who feels ill at ease in some situation is one who is not certain if he can handle himself to his own satisfaction. ...
▲Anxieties can also be induced by making the [bininj] believe he is being tested or that he is inferior by comparison with the [balanda]." --- William Samarin (1967) ''Field Linguistics''.
Learning vocabulary out of context is virtually useless, because you don't get clues to the range of meanings of a word.
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When your mind offers up to you the thought that "I'm not good at this", replace it with a positive alternative such as "Most worthwhile things are challenging. This is worthwhile."
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Google [https://www.google.com.au/search?q=learning+journal learning journal] and find some guidance that works for you.
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Consider blogging about this new journey.
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Find someone else who wants to learn with you.
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