Ms Elizabeth Marrkilyi Warnngupayi Ellis received her Honorary Doctorate this past Friday, the 19th of July. The award was given "on the grounds of her exceptional contribution to the study of traditional Indigenous languages.

Ms Ellis is an Indigenous Australian who has made a major and internationally recognised contribution to the study of traditional Indigenous languages. She is a native speaker of three Indigenous languages. In Ngaatjatjarra society, she is recognised as a senior woman with outstanding linguistic skills and mastery of women's knowledge, as well as a master storyteller.

Ms Ellis has an impressive profile of academic accomplishments - in language research, interpreting and translating, languages teaching and curriculum development, education management, and museum and heritage work, as well as work on four dictionary projects. She is widely respected as a brilliant intercultural interpreter, as a lecturer in Western Desert languages and literacy, and as a translator of several dialects of Western Desert Languages.

Ms Ellis' research includes documenting and interpreting endangered speech registers of the Western Desert, auxiliary sign languages and the connections between language and culture. Her research has also been featured on the ANU's flagship publication site, ANU Reporter.

As well as receiving the award, Ms Ellis also spoke as a guest speaker as part of the ceremonies procedings. 

Head over to the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language webiste for a more indepth story on Ms Ellis and her reception of the award.