Subject description

Australian Languages — First Language is a 10‑credit subject or a 20‑credit subject at Stage 1.

In this subject, ‘Australian Languages’ refers to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and cultures of Australia. (For information about the teaching and learning of Auslan, another Australian language, please see the Auslan Continuers Level subject outline.)

The importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, cultures, communities, and knowledge is affirmed through the study of Australian Languages. Students can study:

• Australian Languages — First Language. This subject is mainly for students who use an Australian Language as their first language.
• Australian Languages — Additional Language. This subject is mainly for students who wish to study an Australian Language as an additional language. A language chosen for this subject will be a well‑resourced language that has a sizeable first‑speaker base.
• Australian Languages — Revival Language. This subject is mainly for students with a heritage in an Australian Language that has been marginalised since colonisation.

The study of Australian Languages — First Language values and strengthens students’ linguistic and cultural knowledge, skills, and understanding. It allows for school learning which is more reflective of and consistent with students’ lifeworlds, and therefore more responsive to their individual needs as learners.

In Stage 1 Australian Languages — First Language, students respond to and create resources in and for a range of personal, social, cultural, and community contexts. Students investigate the interdependence of language, land, and cultural knowledge, and explore issues of linguistic and cultural identity, variation, and change. They investigate factors that affect [First Language], and consider ways in which to maintain, transmit, and advocate for [First Language].

Students extend their ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of people, in different contexts and for different purposes. They use a range of intercultural communication techniques and skills to exchange information, ideas, and perspectives with others. Students use and reflect upon the forms and registers of [First Language] that are appropriate for the cultural context.

Through the study of Australian Languages — First Language, students broaden their awareness of the oral and written systems and structures of [First Language] and improve their ability to analyse its linguistic, cultural, and stylistic features. Through the study and analysis of resources, students are able to interpret and explain meaning within and across languages and cultures.

Students reflect on their personal experiences as both learners and users of an Australian Language. They examine their experiences and exchanges, and reflect on their own identity. In addition, students critically reflect on the relationship between language, culture, and communities — gaining and sharing insights into the different ways in which culture influences communication.

The study of Australian Languages — First Language is vital to the maintenance, transmission, and survival of Australian Languages, and provides a space in which the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities can be heard and amplified. Central to this is collaboration with other language learners and speakers of the language to use, maintain, and transmit language. Working collaboratively, students design and implement projects using language in action for an intended purpose and audience.

Students develop respect for and awareness of the diversity of the languages of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities. They develop and extend their respect for and understanding of appropriate and respectful ways of thinking, listening, communicating, and acting.