Inquiries
Melbourne Asia Review is an initiative of the Asia Institute. Any inquiries about Melbourne Asia Review should be directed to the Managing Editor, Cathy Harper.
Edition 21, March 2025 Making marginalised languages of Asia more visible
INTRODUCTION: Linguistic revitalisation is ultimately a struggle for social justice
Policymakers, educators, and communities need to champion multilingual education, preserve heritage languages, and empower marginalised voices.
Tibetan language, epic, and the bards safeguarding heritage
How Tibetan Bards are making traditional language practices visible despite pressure on minoritized languages in China.
Bridging the gap between reality and Japan’s Ainu Cultural Policy
The indigenous Ainu people of Japan are trying to revitalise and reclaim their language, but they face major hurdles.
Gelao: A highly marginalized language of China
The Gelao language may be left without native speakers in just two to three generations, but researchers are trying to preserve it.
INTERVIEW: Australia is a multilingual society & accepting multiculturalism means taking language seriously
Australia is largely an English-speaking monolingual society and that has negative consequences for people who don’t speak perfect English.
‘The Politics of Language Oppression in Tibet’ by Gerald Roche
An accessible yet complex cross-disciplinary analysis of how state policy promotes some languages while suppressing others.
Edition 21, March 2025
Making marginalised languages of Asia more visible
China’s official common language gains further strength against minority languages
Government bodies are adding new protections to the official Chinese language and reducing linguistic diversity.
中国的官方通用语言在少数民族语言面前进一步强化
并非所有国家的宪法都涉及语言问题 ...
Challenging assimilation and marginalisation: the case of the Kurdish language
Kurdish speakers are not at all reconciled with the loss of their languages.
A stateless language: The linguicide and suppression of Kurdish across borders and dialects
The survival of Kurdish language/s needs global recognition of linguistic diversity as essential cultural heritage.
Language maintenance among the Baduy of western Java, Indonesia
The language and culture of the indigenous Baduy people of Indonesia is facing pressure from outside influences. Researchers are trying to help.
Linguistic colonialism impairs educational and mobility justice for minority students in Vietnam
The dominance of the Vietnamese language means that speakers of ethnic languages are marginalised.
How Japanese fathers can support children’s Japanese language learning in Australia
Minority language transfer can be very difficult in a nation such as Australia where English dominates.
Challenges to preserving and promoting linguistic diversity in Sri Lanka
Sinhala, Tamil and English are recognised in the Sri Lanka's constitution, but other languages are severely marginalised.
