Gavan Breen (born 22 January 1935),
OAM, also known as J.G. Breen, is an Australian
linguist
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...
, specialising in the description of
Australian Aboriginal languages
The Indigenous languages of Australia number in the hundreds, the precise number being quite uncertain, although there is a range of estimates from a minimum of around 250 (using the technical definition of 'language' as non-mutually intellig ...
. He has studied and recorded 49 such languages.
Life
Early life
Breen was born at
St Arnaud in the
Wimmera
The Wimmera is a region of the Australian state of Victoria. The district is located within parts of the Loddon Mallee and the Grampians regions; and covers the dryland farming area south of the range of Mallee scrub, east of the South Aust ...
district of the state of
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
on 22 January 1935. He received his secondary education at
St Patrick's College, Ballarat (1948–1952), where he matriculated as
Dux
''Dux'' (; plural: ''ducēs'') is Latin for "leader" (from the noun ''dux, ducis'', "leader, general") and later for duke and its variant forms (doge, duce, etc.). During the Roman Republic and for the first centuries of the Roman Empire, '' ...
in his final year. He went on to study at
Newman College, graduating as a
metallurgist
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys.
Metallurgy encompasses both the sc ...
from
Melbourne University
The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...
.
Career
He was thinking of somewhere to take a holiday break and a job when, in 1967, he chanced to listen to a public lecture at his university in which the need to record dying languages was mentioned. The work was well paid, and Breen took a grant to do a master's degree at
Monash University
Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...
, working initially with the last speakers of the
Warluwarra language
Warluwarra is an extinct Australian Aboriginal language of Queensland. Waluwarra (also known as ''Warluwarra'', ''Walugara'', and ''Walukara'') has a traditional language region in the local government area of Shire of Boulia, including Walgra ...
, and later with the
Woorabinda people, before deciding that this was where his vocation lay. He was appointed a research fellow at Monash, and there worked on the
Bidjara and
:sv:Gungabula languages and
Pitta Pitta
The Pitapita or Pitta Pitta are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of Queensland.
Language
They spoke Pitta Pitta language, Pitapita, one of the Karnic languages, which remains the best described dialect of an eastern group that compri ...
with
Barry Blake
Barry Blake, born 1937, is an Australian linguist, specializing in the description of Australian Aboriginal languages. He is a professor emeritus at La Trobe University Melbourne.
Career
Blake was born in the northern Melbourne suburb of Ascot V ...
.
Breen's work, which has extended over many distinct language groups in western and central
Queensland
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, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
, the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
and
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
, was mostly done under the auspices of the
AIATSIS
The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), established as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) in 1964, is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is a collecting, ...
, of which he is now a member. He has studied and recorded 49 such languages.
Tasaku Tsunoda
is a Japanese linguist, specializing in Australian Aboriginal languages. His interests embrace linguistic typology and endangered languages.
Career
Tsunoda was born in Akagi, Gumma Prefecture (now incorporated with other villages and renamed S ...
has suggested that, having worked with literally dozens of individuals who were the last speakers of a variety of Australian languages, Breen can be said to be the last speaker of the languages he has described, since he retains a working knowledge, if partial, of an otherwise extinct language.
"Retirement"
Although Breen officially retired in 2001, he continued to work at the
Institute for Aboriginal Development in
Alice Springs
Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...
and was still there . He has also offered his expertise in legal cases, helping native peoples establish their claims to
native title
Aboriginal title is a common law doctrine that the land rights of indigenous peoples to customary tenure persist after the assumption of sovereignty under settler colonialism. The requirements of proof for the recognition of aboriginal title, ...
.
On
26 January 2016, Breen was awarded the
Officer of the Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
.
Salvaged languages
Languages Breen has helped to salvage include:
*
Warluwarra
*
Bidjara.
*
Gungabula.
* The
Antekerrepenhe dialect of
Upper Arrernte
Arrernte or Aranda (; ) or sometimes referred to as Upper Arrernte (Upper Aranda), is a dialect cluster in the Arandic language group spoken in parts of the Northern Territory, Australia, by the Arrernte people. Other spelling variations are ...
.
* The
Mayabic languages and dialects.
* The
Yalarnnga language.
* The
Innamincka dialect of
Yandruwandha.
Selected works
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Notes and references
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Breen, Gavan
1935 births
Linguists from Australia
Living people