Wilfrid Henry Douglas ("Wilf") (4 July 1917 – 22 March 2004) was a
missionary
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...
,
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 ...
and
translator
Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...
, and carried out important early work on many indigenous
Australian 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 ...
.
Born in
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
in 1917, Douglas came to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
at the age of 11, sailing for Australia with 30 other boys destined for Fairbridge Farm School at Western Australia. After two years at Fairbridge he went to Perth to work on a poultry farm, then ticket writing until 1937 when he entered Perth Bible Institute.
In 1938 at the age of 21 he went to the
siding
Siding may refer to:
* Siding (construction), the outer covering or cladding of a house
* Siding (rail)
A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line, branch l ...
of
Badjaling in the Western Australian wheatbelt as a school teacher for the United Aborigines Mission (UAM) and in those early days started to take an interest in the language of the
Noongar
The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the so ...
people who lived at Badjaling.
After a period in the Australian Army from 1941–45, working at Hollywood Military Hospital, Karrakatta Military Camp and
Rottnest
Rottnest Island ( nys, Wadjemup), often colloquially referred to as "Rotto", is a island off the coast of Western Australia, located west of Fremantle. A sandy, low-lying island formed on a base of aeolianite limestone, Rottnest is an A-class ...
, he went to
Gnowangerup Mission
The Gnowangerup Mission or Gnowangerup Aboriginal Mission, also known as United Aborigines Mission, Gnowangerup, was a Christian mission located in the town of Gnowangerup in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. The mission was spon ...
then in 1945 married Elizabeth Weir. The following year after the birth of their son, John, they went to the
Kimberley, and it was at
Sunday Island that Wilf attempted to translate verses from the Bible into the
Bardi language. This struggling attempt, initially with John 3:16, led to a long association with the Wycliffe Bible Translators through their annual
Summer Institute of Linguistics
SIL International (formerly known as the Summer Institute of Linguistics) is an evangelical Christian non-profit organization whose main purpose is to study, develop and document languages, especially those that are lesser-known, in order to ex ...
and a lifetime of Bible translation and detailed study of Aboriginal languages.
After he undertook some linguistic studies at
Sydney University
The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's six ...
, an opportunity arose in 1951 for the Douglas family to go to Ooldea on the Transline in South Australia to do language work with the UAM. Here he worked for the first time with speakers of the
Western Desert Language and produced a
phonology
Phonology is the branch of linguistics that studies how languages or dialects systematically organize their sounds or, for sign languages, their constituent parts of signs. The term can also refer specifically to the sound or sign system of a ...
and
grammar
In linguistics, the grammar of a natural language is its set of structure, structural constraints on speakers' or writers' composition of clause (linguistics), clauses, phrases, and words. The term can also refer to the study of such constraint ...
. A year later they moved to Warburton Ranges and during this time their second son Robert was born. It was here that he produced his works ''Introduction to the Western Desert Language'' (pub. Sydney Uni 1957) and his ''Illustrated Topical Dictionary of the Western Desert Language'' (1959). Wilf's concern for the establishment of an indigenous Church with a Bible in its own language became a central factor in his work, leading to the establishment in 1955 of the Western Desert Bible School and Translation Centre at Mt Margaret.
In 1957 the family moved to
Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is sometimes referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder, as the surrounding urban area includ ...
and the following year Wilf established the UAM Language Department which he headed up for another 24 years, until the establishment of the Aboriginal-run
Ngaanyatjarra
The Ngaanyatjarra, also known (along with the Pini) as the Nana, are an Indigenous Australian cultural group of Western Australia. They are located in the Goldfields-Esperance region, as well as Northern Territory.
Language
Ngaanyatjarra is a ...
Bible Project. The Language Department provided oversight of Bible translators in the
Western Desert and
Kimberley regions of Western Australia and led to opportunities for many hundreds of people in these regions to read and understand the Bible in their own language.
Douglas continued his work with the
Noongar language
Noongar (; also Nyungar ) is an Australian Aboriginal language or dialect continuum, spoken by some members of the Noongar community and others. It is taught actively in Australia, including at schools, universities and through public broadcastin ...
and in 1968 he published his ''The Aboriginal Languages of the South-West of Australia'' (AIAS press).
He also carried out work in the
Geraldton
Geraldton (Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth.
At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...
region on
Wajarri
The Wajarri people, also spelt Wadjari, Wadjarri, Watjarri, and other variations, are an Aboriginal Australian people whose traditional lands are in the Mid West region of Western Australia.
Boolardy Station, along with the tiny settlement of ...
(which he spelled 'Watjarri').
In 2002, the Bible Society in Australia presented him with the Elizabeth Macquarrie Award for his contribution to
Bible translation
The Bible has been translated into many languages from the biblical languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. all of the Bible has been translated into 724 languages, the New Testament has been translated into an additional 1,617 languages, and ...
.
Douglas continued his work throughout his life, continuing work on a new edition of his ''Illustrated Dictionary of the South West Language'' until just before his death.
The life of Wilfrid Douglas has been recorded in a book by his son Rob Douglas,
He Speaks our Language (2014, Ark House Press)
Select bibliography
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References
External links
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ttp://www.als.asn.au/newsletters/alsnews200405.html Obituary in the Australian Linguistic Society newsletter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Wilfrid
1918 births
2004 deaths
British Protestant missionaries
Linguists from Australia
Linguists from the United Kingdom
Irish Protestant missionaries
Northern Ireland emigrants to Australia
Protestant missionaries in Australia
Missionary linguists
20th-century linguists
Australian Army personnel of World War II