GIJA DICTIONARY LAUNCHED

Co-authors: Francis Koford and Aileen Bray. Image Supplied by Koford.

In the Kimberley, a small community launched a dictionary yesterday in an attempt to preserve an endangered language. 

The Gija language dictionary had its official launch in the East Kimberley Town of Warman.

Linguist Francis Koford helped co-author the dictionary. 

Ms Koford has had an impressive innings, having been working with Indigenous languages in the Kimberley for over 50 years, starting when she was just 23 years old in 1971.

She said the language is so endangered that many of the contributors to the book have passed away. 

“About 65 Gija people are listed as contributors in the dictionary,” she said.

“A lot of them have passed away, so each of those people will either receive one, or their descendants.”

The event was celebrated in the town with a dance performance, speeches, and a feed for the community.

Listen to the full interview with Ms Koford below.