Tok Pisin Language and Cultural Awareness

This intensive short course will prepare professionals, researchers and volunteers who are expecting to work in Papua New Guinea.

By learning and practising scenario-based conversations in basic Tok Pisin the participants will develop practical language skills. They will be immersed in Tok Pisin and gain knowledge of daily life in PNG by way of intensive language training, video footage of real-life situations, and group discussions based on carefully selected readings.

The skills and knowledge acquired will allow participants to respectfully navigate their interactions and relationships in Papua New Guinea and respond to situations in culturally appropriate ways.

This intensive short course can be delivered as a bespoke offering, where we design the classes to focus on specific topic(s) as required by the clients.

At a glance

Start/end date: 5 May – 9 May 2025
with an introductory meet and greet session on 2 May
Format: Online
Duration: 1 week
Commitment: 39 hours
Contact hours: 21 hours
Individual study and assessment: 18 hours
Cost: $1,780
20 per cent discount for ANU staff, students, and alumni

Key topics include:

Introductions and small talk
Going to the market
Travelling
Health
Cultural, linguistic and bio-diversity of Papua New Guinea
People's connection with the land, spiritual world
Witchcraft and violence
Logging and mining

Assumed knowledge

This course is taught at graduate level and assumes the generic skills of a Bachelors or equivalent. No specific prior knowledge is required for this course.

Course Structure

Every morning starts with intensive language learning, which is intertwined with discussions of the daily topics. Towards the end of each day language learning gives way to cultural awareness training, in which we refer to examples from the films and readings participants did as homework.

In this short intensive course we try to achieve immersion by combining language teaching and daily discussions with a strong visual component: every day, as part of their homework, participants watch a documentary film from which they learn about a certain topic and are at the same time exposed to naturalistic use of the language, including gestures and body language. E-exercises put in context the language learnt during the class.

Detailed schedule for May 2025 offering

This course is scheduled to run in the week between 5-9 May 2025 with the introductory meet-and-greet session on 2 May.

Session 1: Friday 2 May 4:00pm AEST:
Course introduction/Meet and greet session

Session 2: Synchronous online learning with
Dr Darja Hoenigman

Monday 5 May: 9am–3pm AEST
Tuesday 6 May: 9am–3pm AEST
Wednesday 7 May: 9am–3pm AEST
Thursday 8 May: 9am–3pm AEST
Friday 9 May: individual oral tests (approx. 15 mins) between 9am and 4pm (specific individual times to be confirmed)

Daily Homework: Approximately 3 hrs each day consisting of:

30 minutes: Self-assessment exercises
1-2 hours: Reading prescribed book chapters in English
30 mins-1 hour: Watching a film in Tok Pisin

Final Assessment: 2 hours for the final reflection essay (due Monday 12 May)

Session 3 (optional): Wrap-up session for verbal feedback on the offering,
and an opportunity for the participants to ask Dr Darja Hoenigman any questions
(day and time to be confirmed in agreement with course participants).

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion, participants will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Communicate using simple phrases and sentences, on topics covered.

2. Demonstrate their ability to respond and engage in socially appropriate ways in a variety of situations.

3. Demonstrate an understanding of the culture and everyday life in Papua New Guinea in topics covered.

4. Critically analyse and reflect upon the differences between Western/Australian and New Guinean culture and everyday life.

Indicative assessment

Language Quiz [1,2,3,4] after Day 1
Translation Test [1,2,3,4] after Day 2
Oral Test [1,2,3,4] on Day 5
Reflection Essay (700-800 words, in English) [2,3,4] due on Monday after the course

Testimonials

"I have really enjoyed the practical nature of this course. Embedding the language content within realistic cultural scenarios has meant that we can readily apply our newly-learned vocabulary to practical, real-life situations we might encounter."

"Overall I found the course to be very valuable and as I move forward working in partnership with colleagues based in PNG, I can already see how I will apply some of the lessons learnt. While before the course I understood the importance of relationships, this course provided insight into the depth of these relationship exchanges as well as the basics of speaking Tok Pisin in practice."

"I found that the intensive nature of the course provided insight into the complexity of the country, with the sensory overload effect ensuring that I was constantly thinking about PNG in different ways. I don’t believe this would have occurred in a course with a less intense structure."

"Our lecturer was excellent. This is the first language course I've ever done that was fun and engaging. Along with the lecturer's enthusiasm, the cultural awareness aspect of the course through personal stories, documentaries and the primary reading e-book made learning the language all the more interesting and provided insight not only how to speak Tok Pisin but also what to say and do in a way that is acceptable and expected in PNG."

Who is this course for?

This intensive course is designed for professionals, researchers or volunteers expecting to work in Papua New Guinea. It is assumed that participants have suitable general knowledge as the course is taught at a graduate level.

This short course is taught at a graduate level.  This is not an AQF qualification.

Online training: How it works

This is a real-time, date-specific course, in which you will join live classes, engage and connect with your lecturer and with other course participants. This is how it works:

Pre-course live session. This is an opportunity for you to join our meet and greet before the course commences. You will also receive some reading in preparation for the intensive week ahead.
Synchronous online learning with the lecturer. From Monday to Wednesday you will have 9am to 3PM classes (9am to 4pm on on Thursday), each day with an hour’s lunch break.
Practice + Study. This is an intensive course in which we try to achieve immersion by encouraging students to keep engaging with Tok Pisin and Papua New Guinea after the daily class has finished. The daily homework consists of carefully selected readings, films and e-exercises, so set aside additional 3 hours per day for homework and practice.

Why choose this online course?

This intensive course is unique in the way it combines language learning with cultural awareness training. Completing this course will place you in a favourable position to confidently pursue research, work, travel and any other interests related to Papua New Guinea.
Busy schedule? If you cannot afford to attend a semester-long course in Tok Pisin, you may be able to set aside a week to learn the basics of the language in this intensive course.
Working remotely? With the online and distance format, we welcome participants from around the world to join us.

Lecturer: Dr Darja Hoenigman

Darja Hoenigman is a linguistic anthropologist with a background in language teaching and translation. In her ongoing ethnographic and linguistic research in Papua New Guinea she focuses on the ways people use their language in different social situations. Her forthcoming book ‘Talk Goes Many Ways’ is based on 46 months of fieldwork in the Karawari/Arafundi area of East Sepik Province, where she’s been working since 2004.

Darja is a Research Fellow and a Lecturer in Tok Pisin at the ANU School of Culture, History & Language.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

I will not be able to attend all the classes. Can I still join the course?

Since this is a short intensive course, it is highly recommended that participants take the advantage of fully participating in all the online classes and set aside the time for daily homework.

However, the classes are recorded, and if you cannot be with us all the time or every day, you can watch class recordings at a later time.

What if I’m in a different time zone?

The advertised course times from 6th April 2025 are scheduled in Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) or GMT+10. Convert for your time zone here.

What if I am not tech savvy?

As long as you have access to a phone or computer, you will have no problems. This online course requires a working laptop, desktop or smart device with good internet connection. Our Digital Education Service team is there to help in case of any technical issues.

I work for a company or organisation that would like to enrol multiple employees in the same time. Is it possible?

Yes, please get in touch with us if you want to register as a group. This intensive short course can also be delivered as a bespoke offering, where we design the classes to focus on specific topic(s) as required by the clients.

Tok Pisin Language and Cultural Awareness

Tok Pisin Language and Cultural Awareness

Course Structure