Angkentye-yerrtye ileme mpwarele (2025)
signage / language

Angkentye-yerrtye ileme mpwarele loosely translates to 'Bringing back the right names'. It is a complimentary signage project offering the correct pronunciations and spellings of Mparntwe (Alice Springs) street signs using the Central and Eastern Arrernte agreed standard spelling.

 

Arrernte people have always had names for places, hills, rivers and other features of the landscape within Arrernte Country. The names tell the ayeye altyerre (creation stories) and link apmere (country) to Arrernte language, people, and culture. Some Mparntwe streets were named after Arrernte plants and animals, however at the time they street signs were created the Arrernte language written system was not agreed by Arrernte people, so street names were written in a way that didn’t fully capture the language sounds. Since that time, the Central and Eastern Arrernte to English Dictionary has been compiled using the agreed standardised Arrernte spelling system, and this is the system used for this project. The QR Codes on the 61 signs link to more information about the meaning of the Arrernte names and how to say them properly.

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Indigemoji and Centre for Australian Languages and Linguistics, Batechlor Institute

Led by Veronica Perrule Dobson, Camille Dobson and Joel Perrule Liddle,

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More: https://www.angkentye-yerrtye-ilemele-mpwarele.com/

Selected media: Arrernte street signs keeping language strong for traditional owners of Alice Springs, ABC News

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Photos: Sara Maiorino, Caddie Brain