VietSpeech

VietSpeech is a research project funded by an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Grant and conducted by researchers from Charles Sturt University between 2018 and 2020. The project resulted in the publication of a book in 2021; VietSpeech Multilingual Children.

VietSpeech supports Vietnamese-Australian children and families to maintain their home language, enhance speech skills in Vietnamese and English, and equip English-speaking professionals to support multilingual children’s speech. Multilingualism benefits individuals and societies: culturally, economically and socially.

Australia is one of the most diverse multicultural countries in the world. The Vietnamese community, with the majority entering Australian in the 1970–80s, is at a crossroads in maintaining their home language. Many of Australia’s children are becoming predominantly monolingual English users around school entry.