Indigenous language revitalisation in central and southern Chile, and New South Wales, Australia
Most Indigenous languages of the world are at risk of disappearing. In many cases, this threat has its origins in the violence of colonisation, which meant Indigenous communities were forcibly uprooted from their lands, impeding the continuity of their cultural traditions, and severely affecting the strength of their languages. Over the last few decades, communities have taken concrete actions to bring their languages back. These efforts can be referred to as Language Revitalisation (LR), a process characterised by actions that promote the use of threatened languages. Within these contexts, Indigenous peoples have taken up digital technologies as part of the resources that can support their LR processes and strengthen their cultural identity.
This thesis focuses on the sociolinguistic context of Indigenous communities in central and southern Chile and New South Wales, Australia, to understand their perspectives in relation to their languages, LR processes, and the role digital technologies play. The findings showed that Indigenous communities conceive their language as a shared entity to be taken care of by the entire community. Their LR processes develop as a matter of cultural recovery, and within that process, digital technologies are generally viewed positively as supportive tools for learning, representation, and community connection, though concerns about the misuse of Indigenous cultural knowledge emerge. The discussion offered in this thesis aims to provide insights into how we can best contribute to the future of Indigenous languages in and outside the digital world, and counter the risk of losing such valuable knowledge.