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School students learning foreign languages will be taught “Aboriginal English” phrases — including the words “sista, brutha, bro and cuz” — under curriculum changes.

New syllabuses developed by the NSW Education Standards Authority require indigenous culture to be part of every subject, reports Daily Telegraph.

The changes require students from Kindergarten to Year 10 learning languages such as Chinese, Arabic, Spanish and French to compare speech sounds, slang and “loan words” such as kookaburra and kangaroo from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ­languages.

Students from Kindergarten to Year 10 learning languages such as Chinese, Arabic, Spanish and French will be required to compare speech sounds, slang and “loan words” such as kookaburra and kangaroo from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ­languages.

The guides suggest ways for teachers to link Aboriginal culture to lessons, including discussing Dreaming Time stories in Arabic, and learning words such as kookaburra and kangaroo in Vietnamese.

The new Chinese syllabus suggests teachers encourage students to compare “cultur­ally specific terms and phrases” including “mate” in “Australian English” and “sista, brutha, bro, cuz, Aunty and Uncle” in “Aboriginal English”.

Indigenous histories and cultures must be linked to all subject areas as one of three nationally recognised cross-curriculum priorities.

But indigenous leaders have slammed some of the phrases suggested as Aboriginal terms as patronising, while education experts said including them was tokenistic and too hard for kids to learn.

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  • My daughter teaches in an all indigenous community and im really not sure about the phrases that are listed in this article. Please tell me this was not designed by a white man with zero consultation with the indigenous community.

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  • Interesting. First I have heard of this.

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  • This seems to me to be a ridiculous idea – no wonder some elders are objecting.

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  • Not many aboriginals I know actually talk like this. To me this is very condescending to the aboriginal culture

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  • These are not aboriginal phrases, they are slang words that are used by all Australians and New Zealanders. How patronizing. Why are they learning this? Might be better to learn all the aboriginal place names and their meanings.

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  • It’s a good start, but not enough.

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  • I wonder why indigenous leaders don’t like this move. Wouldn’t it be important to have their full approval before starting such a big project?

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  • I think it’s good our kids would learn more about the Aboriginal culture, heritage and language. Not just on a level of slang language.

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  • What is the point of this? “Aboriginal English” I think someone has made this up. If you’re going to bring Aboriginal language into the classroom, at least make it real Aboriginal words and phrases

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  • Kids pickup everything, I think learning new languages is great.

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  • It seems strange you wouldn’t involve the Aboriginal community in consulting for any changes to the curriculum.

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  • This article literally makes no sense. Why not just include a section in the curriculum about aboriginal culture and language. I don’t understand what benefit learning kookaburra or kangaroo in Vietnamese has?

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  • I thought it would be traditional aboriginal words and phrases.

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  • The words listed here seem to be a bit racist. When they said students will be learning aboriginal phrases, I thought it would be aboriginal language, not a few slang words that no doubt didn’t even become part of aboriginal language til white man arrived

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