Gavan Breen

Gavan Breen, born 22 January 1935,[1] is an Australian linguist, specializing in the description of Australian Aboriginal languages. He has studied and recorded 49 such languages. [2]

Career

Breen was born at St Arnaud in the Wimmera district of the state of Victoria and received his secondary education at St Patrick's College, Ballarat (1948-1952)where he matriculated as Dux in his final year.[3] He went on to study at Newman College, graduating as a metallurgist from Melbourne University. 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, working initially with the last speakers of the Warluwarra language, and later with the Woorabinda people,[4] and decided that this was where his vocation lay.[2][1] He was appointed a research fellow at Monash, and there worked on the Bidjara and Gungabula languages and Pitta Pitta with Barry Blake.[5]

Breen's work, which has extended over many distinct language groups in western and central Queensland, the Northern Territory and South Australia, was mostly done under the auspices of He is presently a member of the AIATSIS. Though Breen officially retired in 2001,[1] he continues to work at the Institute of Aboriginal Development in Alice Springs.[2] He has also offered his expertise in legal cases, helping native peoples establish their claims to native title.[1] On 26 January 2016, Breen was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia.[1]

Tasaku Tsunoda 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.[6]

Salvaged languages

Languages Breen has helped to salvage include:

Notes and references

Notes

    References

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