Scope and ramifications of Indigenous language loss among PNG's youth. Papua New Guinea (PNG) is Australia’s closest neighbour, biggest recipient of Australian Aid, and a key strategic partner. Yet so

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Scope and ramifications of Indigenous language loss among PNG's youth. Papua New Guinea (PNG) is Australia’s closest neighbour, biggest recipient of Australian Aid, and a key strategic partner. Yet some Papua New Guineans think that Australia is falling behind East Asian nations in grasping PNG’s current needs. A massive societal change is underway in PNG, through which its youth appear to be rapidly abandoning its 600-800 Indigenous languages. This could have major ramifications for social cohesion in a country where language has traditionally been a major marker of group identity. We will assess the scope of Indigenous language loss among youth in PNG, assess the potential for intervention, and study ramifications for social cohesion, individual and community well-being, and even cognition.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4513 - Pacific Peoples Culture, Language and History. Lead: Dr Hannah Sarvasy