Current projects
These are the projects I am currently working on:
1. Sasak and Samawa
Sasak and Samawa are Austronesian languages spoken on Lombok and Sumbawa Islands respectively, in eastern Indonesia. I have carried out fieldwork on both languages, commencing in 1995, and have done research on the grammatical structure of both languages as well as their sociolinguistics. I am currently working on a project with Prof Bernd Nothofer of Frankfurt University supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to study the complex speech levels system of Sasak and its historical origins. There is more information about this project here.
2. Diyari Language
Diyari is an Australian Aboriginal language traditionally spoken in the far north of South Australia, to the east of Lake Eyre. I have been studying this language since 1974. There is more information about my research here.
3. Languages of the Gascoyne Region, Western Australia
Since 1978 I have been working on languages spoken in the region around the Gascoyne River in the far north-west of Western Australia. These languages belong to three main groups (for more information see here):
- Kartu — including Yinggarda, and other languages to the south
- Kanyara — namely Bayungu, Thalanyji, Burduna, and Binigura
- Mantharta — namely Tharrgari, Warriyangga, Jiwarli and Thiin
4. Jiwarli Language
Jiwarli is an Australian Aboriginal language traditionally spoken in the far north of Western Australia, along the Henry River, inland from the town of Carnarvon. There is more information about my current research here.
5. Bayungu Language
Bayungu is an Australian Aboriginal language traditionally spoken in the far north of Western Australia, along the coast the town of Carnarvon from Point Cloates to Exmouth. There is more information about my current research here.
5. Guwamu Language
Guwamu is an Australian Aboriginal language traditionally spoken in central and southern Queensland. It belongs to the Maric group and is related to neighbouring languages to the north and west, including Bidjara, Margany and Gunya. The late Prof Steven A. Wurm did fieldwork on Guwamu in 1955 and gave copies of his materials to me in 1976. You can read more about my work on Wurm’s Guwamu materials here.
6. Malyangapa Language
Malyangapa is an Australian Aboriginal language traditionally spoken in the far west of New South Wales. The late Prof Steven A. Wurm did fieldwork on Malyangapa in 1957 and gave copies of his materials to me in 1976. You can read more about my work on Wurm’s Malyangapa materials here
Previous projects
From January 2003 to December 2015 I was Director of the Endangered Languages Academic Programme within the Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Project (HRELP) that was discontinued by SOAS when funding from Arcadia ran out. An archived version of the HRELP website can be accessed on the Internet Archive here.