They don't speak an Aboriginal language, or do they?

This chapter was first published in 1988 in a book focused on Aboriginal identity in 'settled Australia' (edited by Ian Keen). Keen used the term 'settled Australia' to refer to the 'closely settled regions of Australia' in which Aboriginal life has been 'most radically transformed by people of European origin' (p. 1), following Rowley (1971). Focusing on people living in Southeast Queensland, this chapter provides sociolinguistic evidence of Aboriginal social life and culture. It highlights the importance of indirectness in many daily interactions, looking specifically at how people use English for these communicative functions: seeking and giving information; making and refusing requests; and seeking and giving reasons for actions. This chapter largely ignores the ways in which bicultural Aboriginal people may interact with non-Aboriginal people, and it should not be read as describing the language and culture of all Aboriginal people in all parts of Australia.