LAUNCH OF NEW ENGLIH TO NORF’K LANGUAGE:

Lou Tavener, Chair NI Language Commission

Afternoon yorlye

Lairngwages ess lewen systems o’ knowledge, shared lorngf’ communities en pass et douwn from generaetion to generaetion. Lairngwage ess wun vital part o’ ukluns strorng culture, en hoos uklun. While dair was plenty support f’ the dar lairngwage f’ be revitalised en f’ preserve et f’ future generations orn Norf’k, had plenty views orn wutawae f’ do dar. D’ Norfolk Island Council o’ Elders mek wun non-political lairngwage strategy f’ mitigate dar issue en giw direction to dar community’s yoosen et en dar revitalization o’ ukluns lairngwage.

Een August 2020, dar Council o’ Elders set up wun sub-committee orn lairngwage. Deer committee had wun objective; f’ revitalize d’ Ilens lairngwage’. Sens den dar sub-committee start wun wide consultation process starten lorngf’ wun on-line lairngwage survey (wut had oer 300 respondents) en wun two-day lairngwage workshop had oer 30 sullun go genet. Dems views en arnsa form dar basis o’ dar strategy. Moreover, 96.3% o’ dem survey respondents supported dar Council of Elders laingwage revitalization proegram.

Dar revitalization o’ dar Norf’k lairngwage gwen tek decades en ess impractical f’ think dar initial strategy gwen cuwa orl dem current needs into dar future; but gwen set dar fuss en moes important step een place f’ tek dar Norf’k lairngwage orf dar UNESCO list o’ endangered lairngwages.

F’ mek deer happen, dar Council of Elders start dar establishment o’ wun Lairngwage Commission f’ cum ess d’ main body f’ matters bouwt d’ Norf’k lairngwage ‘The Lairngwage Commission hawa act as dar official authority orna lairngwage en en up publishen wun official dictionary o’ Norf’k when se dun.

Dar Norfolk Island Language Commission begin dems work orn 10 July 2022 en bin work moos weekly f’ dun wun new spallen system o’ Norf’k en dem sentences needed f’ dar dictionary. Dem members o’ dar fuss committee was – Louise Tavener (chair), Wesley Quintal, Kane Anderson, Mervyn Buffett, Jane Rutledge, Ngaire Sheridan, Joseph Adams, Allan Bataille. Dar second term o’ office start 30 June 2024 f’ nada 2 years. D’ Lairngwage Commission sullun orn ess Louise Tavener (chair), Wesley Quintal, Kane Anderson, Coral McGrath, Jane Rutledge, Paul Harrington, Joseph Adams, Allan Bataille. Myse deepess thanks go gen dee committee members – wi bin ess en still ess wun great team en wi bin work agada goode; without disagreements en shared respect o’ wun nada.

Een ukluns workings acknowledgement was giwen gen d’ work done by Shirley Harrison, Greg Quintal, Eena Ette, Alice Buffett, Archie Bigg, Colleen Crane, Gaye Evans, Mervyn Buffett, Rachel Nebauer, Suzanne Evans en plenty tada sullun, hoo bin work f’ document en preserw dar Norf’k lairngwage. Yorlye gwen el see plenty een dar dictionary ess ukluns traditional way o’ written a words.

Dar Lairngwage Commission gut plenty respect en gratitude gen Professor Peter Muhlhausler, f’ his devotion, support en continued academic linguistic work lorngf’ ukluns Norf’k lairngwage. Hi bin giw dar lairngwage Commission plenty assistance en support, en material sharen, een dar creation o’ dar new spallen system o’ Norf’k en dar dictionary.

D' lairngwage system wi se mek gwenna be dar official version o’ Norf’k taught eena school, used eena signage, een official documentation en works requiring Norf’k gwen forward. Dar entf’ tull ewribody hawa chaenge dems wae o’ spallen en wae dem use et. Sullun still gwen el write gen wun nada ulla orn social media en spall dem words wae dem bin. Nothing gwenna chaenge dar.

Gut plenty vibrant, creative ways f’ preserve en protect ukluns lairngwage - multimedia, oral recordings, literature, poetry, stories, theatre, essays, films etc. En d’ way dee arenas el be enriched and encouraged ess eff sullun gutta confidence enna freedom f’ express creatively. Wi hoep ukluns production o dar’ Norf’k dictionary gwenna halp lorngf’ dar en encourage sullun crors Norf’k f’ use et more.

Ukluns thanks also hawa go gen Jodie f’ orl d’ work shi bin do orn deer dictionary. Yorlye gwen see wut a beyutiful jorb shi se do orn. Plenty work een en ess truly wun f’ orl uklun be prouwd of.

D' Norfolk Ilen Lairngwage Commission ess moes happy f’ present gen d’ Norfolk Island Council of Elders en yorlye d’ finished English to Norf’k Dictionary.