‘Language as relationality’ in Online Australian Indigenous Language Programs: A Case Study

© 2021 Amara McKayDue to the deeply important role of language in connection to Country, culture and ancestors, many Indigenous peoples in Australia are working to maintain and revitalise their traditional languages through language learning programs. However, mainstream approaches to language teaching may neglect the Indigenous concept of language as relationality. Language as relationality refers to the inseparable connections between people, language, and Country. While online language programs may offer increased accessibility for learners, particularly in the wake of COVID-19, the place-based embedding of language may be neglected or undermined. Thus, this paper explores two research questions. Firstly, how is the concept of language as relationality expressed in the design of fully online Australian Indigenous language programs? Secondly, how do collaborative relationships between Indigenous language holders and academic institutions support embedding of relationality in program design? These research questions are investigated through a case study of two fully online Australian Indigenous languages programs, namely Bininj Kunwok and Noongar. The design elements which connect the learner to the language holders, language and Country are mapped out, including the use of the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach. Furthermore, one of the program creators for the Bininj Kunwok program is interviewed to find out more about the collaborative design process. Results indicate that language as relationality in the Bininj Kunwok and Noongar programs is expressed through culturally and contextually grounded course content, multimodal design features and a CLT approach. Relational design is facilitated by collaborative relationships between Indigenous language holders and academic institutions. These findings have implications for pedagogy in illustrating the compatibility of CLT with language as relationality, especially in structuring the program around culturally significant content, as well as highlighting the benefits of multimodal integration. Implications for the process of online program design foreground the significance of equitable partnerships with language holders