Linguistic complexity and diversity amongst Congolese diaspora in Australia: implications for language services

Conference item


Burke, Jean Robinson. (2016). Linguistic complexity and diversity amongst Congolese diaspora in Australia: implications for language services.
AuthorsBurke, Jean Robinson
Abstract

Like many African countries, the Democratic Republic of Congo is characterised by linguistic diversity, with approximately 220 languages spoken within the country. Congolese Swahili is one of the five national languages, together with Kongo, Lingala, Tshilaba and French. The majority of Congolese diaspora in Australia have entered as refugees through the International Humanitarian Settlement Scheme or family reunion and their linguistic repertoire has been further affected by their refugee journey. The multilingualism of Congolese individuals and communities has created challenges for language services in Australia. The demand for translation and interpreting services for Swahili has rapidly increased due to it being one of the fastest growing languages in Australia, spoken mainly by migrants and refugees from East and Central Africa. Yet Swahili has a number of variants, with Standard Swahili (of the United Republic of Tanzania) often the variant used by Australian interpreters, but not necessarily understood by speakers of Congolese Swahili.This presentation provides a socio-linguistic profile of Congolese in Australia by reviewing relevant literature and by statistical analysis of data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011 census and the Settlement Reporting Facility of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. It is expected that this community linguistic profile will increase understanding of the tensions faced by the Congolese diaspora and the language services seeking to meet their needs. The case of the Congolese diaspora in Australia shows how the ethnic, educational background and linguistic diversity of migrating communities have implications for language services.

Year2016
Journal21st Century Tensions and Transformations in Africa: The 2015 AFSAAP Annual Conference Proceedings
Web address (URL)http://afsaap.org.au/assets/Jean_Burke_AFSAAP2015.pdf
Open accessOpen access
Publisher's version
Research GroupSchool of Allied Health
Permalink -

https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/8q423/linguistic-complexity-and-diversity-amongst-congolese-diaspora-in-australia-implications-for-language-services

  • 254
    total views
  • 133
    total downloads
  • 7
    views this month
  • 0
    downloads this month
These values are for the period from 19th October 2020, when this repository was created.

Export as

Related outputs

Linguistic diversity among Swahili-speakers: A challenge for translation in Australia
Burke, Jean. (2017). Linguistic diversity among Swahili-speakers: A challenge for translation in Australia. In In M. Taibi (Ed.). Translating for the Community pp. 156 - 173 Multilingual Matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/TAIBI9139
Colourism as an intra-racial phenomenon: The case of Tanzania
Burke, Jean. (2015). Colourism as an intra-racial phenomenon: The case of Tanzania. African Studies Association of Australasia and the Pacific (AFSAAP) 37th Annual Conference. Australia: African Studies Association of Australasia and the Pacific. pp. 1 - 7
Media reporting on persons with Albinism in Tanzania
Burke, Jean. (2015). Media reporting on persons with Albinism in Tanzania [Dataset]. Sydney: Australian Catholic University. https://doi.org/10.4226/66/5653abed3470d
Media analysis of albino killings in Tanzania: A social work and human rights perspective
Burke, Jean, Kaijage, Theresa and John-Langba, Johannes. (2014). Media analysis of albino killings in Tanzania: A social work and human rights perspective. Ethics and Social Welfare. 8(2), pp. 117 - 134. https://doi.org/10.1080/17496535.2014.895398
Discrimination and violence against Tanzanians with albinism in the Great Lakes region :crime and national shame
Burke, Jean. (2013). Discrimination and violence against Tanzanians with albinism in the Great Lakes region :crime and national shame. In T Lyons (Ed.). Australia: The African Studies Association of Australasia and the Pacific.
Media framing of violence against Tanzanians with albinism in the Great Lakes region : A matter of culture, crime, poverty and human rights
Burke, Jean. (2013). Media framing of violence against Tanzanians with albinism in the Great Lakes region : A matter of culture, crime, poverty and human rights. The Australasian Review of African Studies. 34(2), pp. 57 - 77.
Understanding of discrimination against people with Albinism in East Africa
Burke, Jean. (2013). Understanding of discrimination against people with Albinism in East Africa [Dataset]. Australian Catholic University. https://doi.org/10.26199/acu.86579
Language as a resource for improving health: Using Swahili-based concepts in responding to infant HIV
Burke, Jean. (2012). Language as a resource for improving health: Using Swahili-based concepts in responding to infant HIV. The Australasian Review of African Studies. 33(2), pp. 141 - 157.
Swahili-based concepts: Explaining how social ties manage HIV and infant feeding
Burke, Jean. (2011). Swahili-based concepts: Explaining how social ties manage HIV and infant feeding. 34th AFSAAP conference Africa 2011 Conference Proceedings. Australia: The African Studies Association of Australasia and t.... pp. 1 - 10
East African mothers with HIV: Testing, talking, and transmission to children
Burke, Jean, Majule, Neema Peter, Ikongo, George and Burke, Michael. (2008). East African mothers with HIV: Testing, talking, and transmission to children. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment. 17(April), pp. 259 - 279. https://doi.org/10.1080/10911350802067807