The Australian National University is developing an online language course for Tok Pisin, one of Papua New Guinea’s official languages.
The online course will launch in Semester 1, 2019, and marks another milestone for the ANU College of Asia & the Pacific (CAP) in offering languages not widely taught at Australian universities.
On its website, the ANU said its Tok Pisin teacher will be Jenny Homerang, a PhD candidate at the School of Culture, History & Language.
Homerang said its inception is a “ground-breaking achievement” for all indigenous language speakers.
Tok Pisin teacher Jenny Homerang, a PhD candidate at the School of Culture, History & Language, said its inception is a “ground-breaking achievement” for all indigenous language speakers.
“ANU is a pioneer in online language education and Tok Pisin is an important language in Papua New Guinea, because it brings the country’s diverse population together. As the first institution in Australia to offer a course in this language, ANU is leading the way in teaching and valuing less commonly taught languages,” she said.
Papua New Guinea is one of the world’s most linguistically diverse nations with more than 800 living languages. Tok Pisin, an official language in the country along with English and Hiri Motu, is its most spoken language with around four million speakers.
Development of the Tok Pisin course has been led by the CAP Digital Education Service team, which in May was recognised at the College Forum for its outstanding efforts implementing six online language courses – Hindi, Sanskrit, Tetum, Thai, Tibetan and Vietnamese – in partnership with Open Universities Australia.
(Picture: Australian National University)