For decades, students in Footscray in Melbourne’s West, have been taught in Vietnamese alongside English, in line with the suburb’s long-standing heritage. But now, the program is under threat. Today, André Dao on why we value some languages more than others, and what it says about where Australia sees its place in the world.

The audio of Professor Alan Crookshank in this story is from the Earshot series “Tongue Tied and Fluent.”

Guest: Contributor to The Monthly Andre Dao.

Background reading: A minor language in The Monthly

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