Chris McLennon | The Canberra Times | June 29, 2020

Nicole Brown, Joy Cardona and Jamie Damaso show young Josh the new app. Picture: supplied.

Malak Malak traditional owners from the Daly River region, Northern Territory, have funded the development of a language app containing more than 300 words and phrases.

The Malak Malak Vocab Builder is now available on the Google Play and App store.

Only five fluent Malak Malak speakers are left.

Prior to 2012, little work was done on preserving and revitalising the language besides some grammar work undertaken by a researcher in the 1970s.

In 2012, Dr Dorothea Hoffmann, a linguist with nonprofit organisation The Language Conservancy, began working on documenting and recording the language.

Malak Malak traditional owners then began working with Northern Land Council’s Community Planning and Development Program in 2016, allocating a portion of their income to community development.

A Malak Malak working group was formed, and preserving language with the help of an app was identified as a priority.

Using existing technology from The Language Conservancy, Dr Hoffmann developed a vocabulary builder app and NLC’s CP&D team assisted with project management.

“I’m delighted to see the app come to life. I hope it will help this beautiful language to thrive and gain new interest,” Dr Hoffmann said.

Malak Malak traditional owner Joy Cardona said it’s important to preserve the language and hand it on to the next generation.

“We needed to capture the language while the Aunties are still alive, to keep the language and Malak Malak clan strong, and to pass it on to our children,” Ms Cardona said.