Expensive English: an accessible language approach for Papua New Guinea agricultural development

ABSTRACT

Language used in capacity development programmes is usually that of the donor country, often English. However, research shows that the language used can be detrimental to the success of the programme. Little attention has been given to the issue of language, yet it is important that programme participants fully understand the capacity development programme’s concepts to ensure that the programme achieves its full potential. This article explores an accessible language approach to a Papua New Guinea development programme. Arguments are based on an in-country research project designed to provide women and men with deeper understanding of gender equity.

KEYWORDS:

• Aid – Capacity development
• Aid effectiveness; Civil society – Participation
• Environment (built and natural) – Agriculture
• Gender and diversity – Youth
• Labour and livelihoods – Poverty reduction
• Social sector – Education
• South Asia

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Jo Caffery is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education, University of Canberra, Australia. Her research interests include gender equity for rural and remote women: gender and development, linguistic and cultural diversity, and mother-tongue education. Her research methodologies include mixed and unique, qualitative and quantitative methods that are linguistically and culturally relevant to participants and funding agencies. She has extensive experience working with remote Indigenous peoples across many regions of Indigenous Australia, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and Pakistan.

Deborah Hill is an Assistant Professor, TESOL & Foreign Language Teaching in the Faculty of Education, University of Canberra, Australia. Her research interests include descriptive linguistics, lexical semantics, Oceanic linguistics, and language and culture. She has extensive experience working in the Solomon Islands, and has research experience using the Natural Semantics Metalanguage and Minimal English approaches to semantics.

Notes

1. For more details on the project see http://pngwomen.estem-uc.edu.au.