Given the fact that Australia is home the world’s oldest living cultures, it’s no surprise Indigenous Australian languages have accrued a few words not mirrored in English. Mumbrella reports Spread The Word, a new ten-part Disney Channel series, aims to bridge that linguistic gap by sharing unique and useful terms from Australia’s original wordsmiths.
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Hosted by comedians Bjorn Stewart and Katie Beckett, Spread The Word aims to introduce school-aged kids to nifty terms used in Indigenous Australian languages. Although the series is set to officially premiere at 5pm this arvo, the first episode is already online, showcasing the palawa kani term ‘warr’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsbHD4IDxo4
Other terms you can look forward to include the Wiradjuri word ‘dirranyamgarra’, meaning “to move about everything in seeking for a thing,” and the positively essential Anindilyakwa word ‘ngarrarndirrarjena’, which describes kicking a tree to jostle an object – like a football – from its branches.
Spread The Word comes via collaboration with production company Media Farm, First Languages Australia, and Indigenous Australian communities across the country.
The series coincides with NAIDOC Week, but it’s not the only kid-focussed show currently celebrating Indigenous Australian culture this week either. ABC’s Play School is today celebrating an Acknowledgement of Country-themed episode and the introduction of new mate Kiya.
Spread The Word is slated to premiere on Disney Channel and Disney Junior at 5pm today, while you’ll be able to catch Play School on ABC iView if you missed it the first time around.
