New Language Discovered in Northern Australia

  • June 18, 2013
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A new language has been discovered in Northern Australia, according to a new study conducted at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The language is known as Light Walpiri and it’s spoken by approximately 600 people in Australia’s Northern Territory. Light Walpiri is considered a “mixed language” because it blends elements from multiple languages (Traditional Walpiri, Kriol and English). Carmel O’Shannessy, a professor in the department of linguistics at the University of Michigan, and the lead on this study, thinks Light Walpiri likely appeared in the 1970s and 1980s, when children went from switching between English, Kriol and Walpiri to speaking Light Walpiri on a consistent basis.

Interested in learning more about this newly discovered language? Please click here to read the complete article on FoxNews.com.

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*Photo courtesy of FoxNews.com