The birth of new Australian Aboriginal Languages: the role of speaker identity in language genesis

The incursion of English has deeply impacted the linguistic landscape of Australia. In its wake: new languages which are complex amalgamations of English and traditional Australian languages. The number of first-language speakers is growing rapidly, yet speaking these
languages is stigmatised and is correlated with poor educational outcomes. Moreover, many questions surround how these languages are formed and sustained. This project will develop a model of how sound systems develop in these languages, with particular attention paid to the role of speaker identity. This will have important implications for the maintenance of traditional, critically endangered languages of Australia.