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Warlpiri Dictionary ABIA Shortlist

Mon, 24 Apr 2023

Aboriginal Studies Press is thrilled to announce that the Warlpiri Encyclopaedic Dictionary has been shortlisted for the 2023 Australian Book Industry Awards!

The ABIAs showcase the best talent in the business, with exceptional collaborations between publishers, authors, editors, illustrators, marketers, and designers who bring quality books to Australian and international markets. We couldn’t be more excited that the Warlpiri Dictionary has been shortlisted in the category of Small Publishers’ Adult Book of the Year.

Warlpiri is a language of the Tanami Desert area of the Northern Territory of Australia. Hundreds of Warlpiri speakers from the main Warlpiri communities of Yuendumu, Willowra, Lajamanu, Nyirrpi and Alekarenge have contributed to the Warlpiri Dictionary, which has been more than 60 years in the making and is one of the largest Australian Aboriginal language dictionaries ever published!

Local Yuendumu community celebrating the launch of the Warlpiri Dictionary in March 2023.

It contains Warlpiri words with English translations; instructive example sentences rich with Warlpiri history and culture; detailed flora and fauna information; more than 500 illustrations, plus colour photographs; and maps of Warlpiri country. With an English word finder and a guide to Warlpiri grammar and the complex vocabulary for family relations, this dictionary is essential for both beginner and advanced speakers of Warlpiri, translators, interpreters, and anyone interested in learning more about the Warlpiri language and culture.

Congratulations to Aboriginal Studies Press and all the authors involved, including Mary Laughren, Kenneth Hale, Jeannie Nungarrayi Egan, Marlurrku Paddy Patrick Jangala, Robert Hoogenraad, David Nash and Jane Simpson.The winners will be announced at the red-carpet ABIA ceremony, to be held on Thursday 25 May at Doltone House (Darling Island) in Sydney.

Aboriginal Studies Press is the publishing arm of AIATSIS.

The Warlpiri Encyclopaedic Dictionary is available to purchase from the Aboriginal Studies Press online bookshop and at all good bookstores.

Details:

Hardback

1416 pp + 4pp cover (includes 16 pp full colour)

Released 1 December 2022

ISBN 9781925302424

Media enquiries: Commsmedia@aiatsis.gov.au or SMS to 0476 843 522

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Last updated: 18 September 2023