science

Margaret Heffernan (linguist)

Margaret Heffernan (linguist) is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Margaret Heffernan (linguist) rather than just read about it. In short: Margaret Heffernan (born 1944), is a Central Arrernte linguist, author, interpreter and translator who is now a well respected elder in her community. Heffernan is responsible for developing the orthography of Arrernte.

Key takeaways

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Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
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Reference excerpt

Margaret Heffernan (born 1944), is a Central Arrernte linguist, author, interpreter and translator who is now a well respected elder in her community. Heffernan is responsible for developing the orthography of Arrernte.

Early life Heffernan was born at the sacred site of Werlatye Atherre, just north of the Alice Springs Telegraph Station, and is part of the Caterpillar Dreaming. She is part of the Water Dreaming as she was conceived at another sacred site, Apmere Yetwernte, near Aileron. Growing up, Heffernan had been told her birthday was 1 April 1943, but this date was invented when she first came into contact with government institutions; later records show it having been recorded as 1944. The Heffernan family travelled a lot around Central Australia in Margaret's early childhood for family and ceremony and also for work. Heffernan recalls that, in 1949, her family moved to work in the Jervois Range, far east and towards the Queensland border, where her father had gotten a job with Kurt Johannsen working on a copper mine which had been abandoned. The family stayed there for a year, until her now pregnant mother wanted to return to Alice Springs where she would have the support of family, and family midwives, for the birth. Shortly after this they then went to Yambah Station where, again, they stayed for about a year. Finally, in 1951, Heffernan's family settled, for some time, in Alice Springs where they lived at Middle Camp (on Charles Creek) and it is here where she was forced to start attending school at the former Bungalow at the Alice Springs Telegraph Station, which was by then functioning as an Aboriginal Reserve. Heffernan recalls that: "The old people worried that this school business didn't fit well with our culture. It didn't allow time for ceremony and teaching old ways, But nobody asked them." She was allowed to go home at night. In 1953 the family were "as good as pushed" into going to live at Santa Teresa (now the Ltyentye Apurte Community) and, once there, Heffernan was forced to live separately from her family in dormitory accommodation associated with the school and was only allowed to visit her family on weekends. Heffernan finished school in the late-1950s. Following school, in Heffernan's early adulthood, she worked in the Amoonguna kitchens where she met her husband Tommy Dixon, an Anmatyerr man from Napperby Station. In the early years of their marriage, they travelled between Napperby Station and Santa Teresa.

Career Heffernan started working in linguistics after starting as a bilingual education teacher at Santa Teresa School which inspired her to study a Diploma of Linguistics at Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education. At Batchelor she collaborated with linguist Gavan Breen and, together, they developed the Arrernte orthography. Following this, she went on the teach at the Institute for Aboriginal Development and Yipirinya School. Additionally, she has worked with Margaret James on the Central Arrernte language versions of the Honey Ant Readers. In 2018, Heffernan published her autobiography, supported by Gerard Waterford and Francis Coughlan with the aim of helping young people maintain their traditions to keep Arrernte families and language strong; the book is: Gathering Sticks: lighting up small fires, and was published by IAD Press. It was her desire, in telling this story, was to pass on to her children and future generations of her family, her life story. In his review of this book artist Rod Moss says that her voice, in this book, is "[f]irm but free of the bitterness which readers might feel warranted, her voice never pulls punches".

Personal life As of 2019, she lives at Hidden Valley, a town camp of Alice Springs, with her daughters. Heffernan has a Catholic faith but has also stated the church needs to do more for the Aboriginal community.

External links Publication list available on Trove and Austlit.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Margaret Heffernan (linguist)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Margaret Heffernan (linguist) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Margaret Heffernan (linguist) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Margaret Heffernan (linguist) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Margaret Heffernan (linguist)

In research: Margaret Heffernan (linguist) appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Margaret Heffernan (linguist) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Margaret Heffernan (linguist) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1944 births, 21st-century linguists, Arrernte elders, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Margaret Heffernan (linguist) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Margaret Heffernan (linguist) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Margaret Heffernan (linguist) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Margaret Heffernan (linguist) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Margaret Heffernan (linguist) in simple terms?

Why does Margaret Heffernan (linguist) matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Margaret Heffernan (linguist)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Margaret Heffernan (linguist).