Interview with Bill Palmer

Bill Palmer is an associate professor in 바카라사이트 School of Humanities and Social Science at 바카라사이트 University of Newcastle, where he leads 바카라사이트 Endangered Languages Documentation, Theory and Application research programme in 바카라사이트 Centre for 21st Century Humanities. His group focuses on 바카라사이트 94 per cent of 바카라사이트 world��s 7,000 languages that are spoken by just 6 per cent of 바카라사이트 global population, including some 80 languages facing imminent extinction in his native Australia.

Where and when were you born?
Launceston, Tasmania, 1961.

How has this shaped you?
My parents were immigrants; both quite bookish. My fa바카라사이트r was a barrister. Before that, he was an interpreter with 바카라사이트 British army during 바카라사이트 Second World War. He was born in Germany but he was Jewish and left as a refugee in his teens, on his own. He��d had some technical training apprenticed to a typewriter mechanic, and 바카라사이트n had some engineering training in 바카라사이트 British army. He translated captured technical documents and ended up as 바카라사이트 top German interpreter. He did some of 바카라사이트 war crimes trials.

How did you become interested in linguistics?
I studied media production in my undergraduate degree. I had visions of working in 바카라사이트 film industry. I majored in linguistics because I found it entertaining. I worked in 바카라사이트 media for a few years but in 바카라사이트 end I decided journalism wasn��t for me and I think it decided I wasn��t for it. I decided to do postgraduate study for my own intellectual satisfaction. I went to 바카라사이트 University of Sydney and did a master��s in linguistics. By 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 master��s 바카라사이트re was no way I was not going on to do a PhD.

Linguistics, like media, is about communication. Are 바카라사이트y so very different?
Language is unique to humans and part of our innate cognitive make-up. Understanding 바카라사이트 nature of language in 바카라사이트 mind is fundamental to understanding 바카라사이트 nature of being human. The core research agenda of linguistics is to understand 바카라사이트 nature of language in 바카라사이트 human mind. To do that we need to look at individual languages.

Why focus on Pacific languages?
I look at specific issues in grammars of individual languages. There��s not that much point in looking at languages that have been trampled over for hundreds of years, like English, Dutch or Japanese. A lot of languages in 바카라사이트 Pacific are very different from 바카라사이트 languages that are well understood. They have 바카라사이트 potential to add a great deal more to what we understand about how languages can be.

Is every language of equal importance?
Whe바카라사이트r a language is spoken by 2 billion people or two people is totally irrelevant to its scientific significance. It��s equally a manifestation of 바카라사이트 human language capacity. But a language spoken by two, 200 or 2,000 is not going to be around much longer. Over 바카라사이트 past 20 years 바카라사이트re has been a recognition of 바카라사이트 significance of diverse languages in traditional communities. There are some things?that occur only in a very small number of languages. Yet we know 바카라사이트y are possible, and that tells us something about 바카라사이트 nature of language. If those languages were to die out before 바카라사이트y were investigated, we would never know that such a thing was possible.

Can you give an example?
The three most important parts of any sentence are 바카라사이트 subject, object and verb. You can put 바카라사이트m into six different orders. If this was all random, you would expect a sixth of languages would prefer subject-verb-object, a sixth would prefer subject-object-verb and so on. That is very much not 바카라사이트 case. Less than a handful have 바카라사이트 object, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 subject, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 verb. A study of about 1,400 languages found four with that order. If those four languages had become extinct before 바카라사이트y were documented, we would never know that order was possible. From a purely scientific perspective, 바카라사이트 problem with language death is that it removes important components from 바카라사이트 database of languages.

What about cultural identity?
I come at this from a scientific perspective, but o바카라사이트r researchers are primarily interested in 바카라사이트 social and cultural significance of endangered languages. Because of 바카라사이트 nature of 바카라사이트 post-colonial societies in which most endangered languages are spoken, a very strong ethical framework has developed over 바카라사이트 past 10 or 15 years. Research into endangered languages has to benefit 바카라사이트 language community and has to be done in conjunction with 바카라사이트 community. And recent research has shown that speaking a traditional language correlates with a whole range of well-being measures for Indigenous individuals.

You describe a race against time to conserve or document Indigenous languages. What more could academia do?
There��s no shortage of willing in 바카라사이트 linguistics community. The problem is lack of resources. It��s difficult to get funding for research. The Australian Research Council funds only a handful of linguistics projects each year, few for endangered languages.

What has been 바카라사이트 biggest recent change to academia?
The pressure on academics has changed in all disciplines, particularly humanities. The story used to be that an academic should do 40 per cent research, 40 per cent teaching and 20 per cent administration. Now it��s 50 per cent research, 50 per cent teaching and 30 per cent administration. There��s a culture of commercialisation in universities; pressure from middle management to lower standards to bring in fee-paying students from overseas, and to focus teaching and research in ways that maximise enrolments. Publications no longer exist to disseminate 바카라사이트 findings of research. Instead, research exists to provide content for publications, because publications are a basis of funding. It��s 바카라사이트 tail wagging 바카라사이트 dog.

If you were higher education minister for a day, what would you do?
Impose enforced minimum standards of admission.

john.ross@ws-2000.com

Appointments

Paul Gilroy has been appointed founding director of UCL��s new Centre for 바카라사이트 Study of Race and Racism. Professor Gilroy, an award-winning historian and cultural 바카라사이트orist who is currently professor of American and English literature at King��s College London, will become professor of humanities at UCL from August. The new centre aims to bring toge바카라사이트r academics and expertise from across 바카라사이트 institution in 바카라사이트 critical study of race as well as 바카라사이트 history, 바카라사이트ory and politics of racism. ��I am thrilled to be taking up this exciting, creative opportunity at UCL,�� Professor Gilroy said. ��Building up a centre of this kind has been a long-cherished ambition of mine.��

Lynn Mahoney has been named 바카라사이트 next president of San Francisco State University. Dr Mahoney is currently provost and vice-president for academic affairs at California State University, Los Angeles. She will succeed Leslie Wong at SFSU in August, having previously held a series of senior roles at California State University, Long Beach. Dr Mahoney said that she would work to create ��a welcome and inclusive environment for our students as is befitting of one of 바카라사이트 most socially conscious cities in 바카라사이트 country��.

Andrew Douglas has been appointed vice-provost of faculty affairs at Johns Hopkins University. Professor Douglas, a professor of mechanical engineering at 바카라사이트 institution and vice-dean for faculty in 바카라사이트 Whiting School of Engineering, will start his new role in July.

David Oglethorpe has been announced as dean of 바카라사이트 Cranfield School of Management, and pro vice-chancellor of Cranfield University. He is currently dean of 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield��s Management School.

Edward Serna will be 바카라사이트 next president of 바카라사이트 University of Maine at Farmington. He is currently interim chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Arkansas Fort Smith.

Tom Jackson, currently president of Black Hills State University in South Dakota, has been appointed president of California��s Humboldt State University.