Improving Communication with Aboriginal English Speakers: A Study of cultural conceptualisations in Aboriginal English

The proposed study will explore cultural conceptualisations in Aboriginal English. Often unfamiliarity with Aboriginal cultural conceptualisations on the part of non-Aboriginal people leads to miscommunication, disadvantaging Aboriginal speakers, especially in institutional contexts (e.g. schoolrooms, courtrooms, Centrelink offices). The aim of this study is to alleviate such problems - and significantly advance Aboriginal English research - by exploring culturally constructed conceptualisations, in particularly cultural-conceptual metaphor, underlying the use of Aboriginal English, using the the analytical tools of Cultural Linguistics. The study will also make a significant contribution to the development of Cultural Linguistics.