Joe Blythe's research focuses on Indigenous Australian languages, including Murrinhpatha, Gija, and Jaru. He is the Associate Secretary for the Australian Linguistic Society

Learning to discern who's who within a universal kinship system

This presentation examines the developmental consolidation of an entire system of kinship relations in the Indigenous Murrinhpatha language of Australia - genetically close kin as well as more distant classificatory relationships. It is argued that adult-like competence develops slowly into the late teens, which is evidenced through psycholinguistic tasks targeting both the kinship lexicon and the sibling-inflected grammar. In this respect, the social learning required for mastery of kinship in Murrihpatha is likely similar to the acquisition of literacy, in which life-long learning enables certain individuals to develop genuine expertise.

Zoom link available upon request from Dr Alex Walker