Learning Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara Language and Culture
February 6, 2026
MLT staff members Cody Tonkin, Phoebe Leggett, Karina Lester, Celena Aardenburg, Jaylon Newchurch
A few lucky MLT staff members began their year immersed in Western Desert language learning through the Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara Language and Culture Program summer school, held at the Adelaide University’s Magill Campus. This was a great opportunity for MLT staff to brush up on their Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara and to experience immersion learning techniques first-hand. We hope to bring these skills to bear in teaching other SA Aboriginal languages. MLT’s Karina Lester (centre) is fluent in both languages and played a role as tutor in the course.
More than 70 students travelled to Adelaide for the two-week intensive program, with many making the journey from the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands. Supported by a team of Aṉangu tutors the course aimed to provide participants with a foundational understanding of vocabulary, sentence structure, and grammar, alongside deeper insights into Aṉangu culture and history.
The PYLCP summer school is grounded in the pedagogy of nyawa, kulila, arkala (look, listen, try), encouraging learners to actively engage with and reproduce the language they see and hear. As Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara are deeply embedded in cultural practice, language learning was closely connected to understanding Aṉangu ways of life, both past and present.
Each morning was dedicated to practising spoken language with Aṉangu tutors, focusing on sounds, pronunciation, and the use of hand gestures in specific contexts. Following kapiṯi (cup of tea), sessions shifted to grammar and vocabulary, ranging from basic terms such as family members and body parts to everyday verbs and their conjugation. After sharing mai wiṟu (good food) at lunch, afternoons were devoted to cultural learning, where tutors shared personal stories of family, community life, and their ongoing roles within the APY Lands.
MLT extends its sincere thanks to the Aṉangu tutors who generously shared their language, knowledge, and experiences, enriching the learning journey and strengthening connections to Aṉangu language and culture. We observed that all participants enjoyed the course and emerged as better hearers and speakers of the languages.
Adelaide University is offering an online course Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Language and Culture 1 this semester, you can read more about the course here. MLT offers online language learning opportunities through our online language learning portal. Get in touch if you want to find out more about language learning opportunities.