Aboriginal English

In 1992 Dr Diana Eades’ published a book called Aboriginal English and the Law, and shortly after that the Queensland Attorney-General published a more straightforward guide called Aboriginal English in the Courts. This guide is very easy and very interesting reading.

Eades says Aboriginal English did not develop from pidgin English, but from the way English was Aboriginalised as it was being learnt, in terms of grammar, accent and traditional ways of speaking.

For a very long time, white people might have heard Aboriginals speaking what sounded like English and misinterpreted what was actually a distinct language, differing from English in very systematic ways. For a very long time, Aboriginals have been disadvantaged, legally and in other ways, by this misunderstanding.