A quiet act of language revival is changing the streets of Alice Springs. New, bilingual signs have been installed across town – next to the existing ones – using the correct Arrernte spelling and pronunciation.
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00:00Residents of Alice Springs awoke to a new site, more than 60 new road signs in central
00:08and eastern Aranda.
00:09This one will go out at the Maunundulia Aboriginal community. They've currently got a sign out
00:16there that's just a painted car tyre.
00:20The signs were installed in just one day by volunteers from the Batchelor Institute and
00:25the group Indigimoji.
00:27These signs aren't supposed to replace the original signs and we're not arguing for
00:33that. They're just a value add.
00:35Many of the town's original street signs are already in Aranda, but were written before
00:40a standardised writing system, leading to widespread mistakes. The new signs include QR codes linking
00:47to pronunciation guides and cultural information. The organisers say the goal is to make the language
00:53visible and remind everyone they're in the heart of Aranda country.
00:58Everyone should learn a bit of Aranda. It's a beautiful language and, you know, it's what
01:02makes us unique. It's what makes Alice Springs Alice Springs.
01:06For elder and linguist Veronica Perola Dobson, who wrote the Aranda dictionary, the signs
01:12represent her life's work.
01:14I do feel really proud because I got the chance to read and write my own language and my people's
01:23language.
01:24I'm very proud.
01:29Despite looking official, the signs installed two weeks ago were not formally approved by
01:34the Alice Springs Town Council. But, so far, none have been taken down and they have the
01:39backing of the Mayor.
01:41We're told that we're the cultural heart of the country but we're not very good at celebrating
01:45it at times and I think that this is a small step in what could be a big picture of celebrating
01:49our history and it's educational for everyone.
01:52A quiet act of pride now stands in steel for all to see.