A Relational Approach to Designing Social Technologies that Foster Use of the Kuku Yalanji Language

Abstract

Australia has a rich array of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, but they face decline along with many valued aspects of culture unless they are passed down to, and used by, younger generations. Prior work on designing technologies for language learning has often taken particular language skills, learning theories, and technologies as their starting point. Our empirical work with a remote Aboriginal community illustrates four ways in which this community's language practices intersect with family relations and are deeply enmeshed with family histories and stories, Indigenous Knowledges, and activities on and about country. Thus, we argue for a relational approach that instead takes family communication and social activities as the basis for designing technologies that foster everyday language use. We outline the guiding principles of this design orientation, and illustrate how they have been taken up in the co-design of a talking soft toy called the 'Crocodile Language Friend.' Finally, we identify opportunities and open issues in taking a relational approach to designing technologies for language communities with similar needs and aspirations.