Australia Literature and Language

root = another term for engaging in sexual relations.

A bundle carried by a swagman typically includes essential items for survival and comfort while traveling, such as a sleeping blanket, food, cooking utensils, and personal belongings. It is usually tied together and slung over the swagman's shoulder or carried on a stick over the shoulder.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, given the census figures for 2011, an estimated 76.8% of Australians speak only English at home. However, there are another 22% or so who speak English as a second or third language.

We speak English in Australia.

A reasonable translation would be "talk".

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We're also likely to speak (and there's another Australian word for 'talk') of 'having a yarn', an old phrase still widely in use today; so someone might say, 'Had a yarn with Ted the other day,'.

Other things we do to exchange information are chat, gossip, and all the other conversational things the English-speaking world does.

'Let's have coffee (or a drink)' is, as in many other parts of the world, a euphemism for 'let's talk'. 'Let's do lunch,' is an invitation to talk in some depth, and 'Let's have dinner,' means really serious talk will probably happen.

Way back, when we told a story, we'd 'spin a yarn', and 'come in spinner' became an invitation to tell a tale, along with its other meanings involving sport, from cricket to fishing and beyond, as well as a traditional form of gambling. These terms are still popular in Australia.

There are plenty of other colourful Australianisms, frequently traceable to British terms, which refer to conversation.

All Indigenous Australian languages have different words for 'talk', as do the very many other languages spoken in Australia, all of which contribute to our lovely language. Many Scottish and Irish people in Australia use the term 'craic', meaning convivial conversation, frequently involving pints of beer. 'Having a cuppa' also means chatting.

And, of course, we mostly just plain 'talk'.

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Yabber is an older word that was commonly used when I was a kid, and wongai (from an indigenous word) was also common. When isolated rural properties and small communities were connected by pedal (and later CB) radio, the womenfolk used to put time aside to chat once or more a week. These times were known as galah sessions.

The English Accent tends to use more open vowel sounds. They also use a thing called the 'glottal stop' quite a lot. You might want to look up youtube videos for that. They basically use it within words, even words such as 'water' so that it sounds like 'wo'a'

The Australian Accent is more drawn and the words kind of run into each other. Casually speaking, they do have a glottal stop but to a lesser degree - they only really use it at the end of a string of words.

A "Tinny" can refer to a "can" (tin) of lovely cold refreshing beer. Practical application - "Grab a tinny from the fridge".

A "Tinny" can also refer to any small boat (with or without motor) contructed from metal and used for fishing, etc. Practical application - "We went for a day's fishing in Bill's tinny".

"Tinny" can also refer to an object, especially a car, that falls below roadworthy mechanical specifications. Practical application - "Don't buy that car, it looks a bit tinny".

"Tinny" applied to a person can imply that his skill in achieving a particular outcome was hugely exceeded by his luck. Practical application - "Bill's a tinny bugger, he caught 6 trout with the wrong sized hooks and wrong bait".

William Lawson came to Australia as a free settler in 1800 to seek new opportunities and to establish his presence in the colony. He played a significant role in the exploration and development of the Australian continent.

Before the white settlement settled in Australia the Aboriginals, spoke a wide range of languages. There was over 500 different languages spoken throughout the aboriginal tribes. Each tribe had their own language. Many of these languages were lost through time as European expansion meant the death of aboriginal culture.

The following is a list of current, viable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages still spoken in Australia. Only twenty of the languages are considered "strong", while the others are endangered.

1. Aboriginal English

2. Anjumarla

3. Arabana

4. Arrernta

5. Awabakal

6. Ayapathu

7. Bardi

8. Bunganditj

9. Bunuba

10. Dalabon

11. Darug

12. Dyirbal

13. Ganai/Kurnai

14. Garawa

15. Gooniyandi

16. Gumbaynggir

17. Gunggari

18. Gurindji

19. Guugu Yimithirr

20. Jagera/Yuragubul

21. Jaru

22. Jingulu

23. Jiwarli

24. Kala Lagaw Ya

25. Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay

26. Kaurna

27. Kayardild

28. Koko-Bera

29. Kriol, pidgins

30. Kukatja

31. Kuku Yalanji

32. Kutthung

33. Malyangapa

34. Marriammu

35. Martuthunira

36. Mawng

37. Meriam Mir

38. Murrinh-Patha

39. Narrungga

40. Ndjebbana

41. Ngadjon

42. Ngalakan

43. Ngarrindjeri

44. Ngiyampaa

45. Nhirrpi

46. Noongar

47. Nyangumarta

48. Paakantyi

49. Pakanh

50. Palawa Kani

51. Pitjantjatjara

52. Pitta Pitta

53. Tiwi

54. Tjapukai

55. Uw Oykangand

56. Wagiman

57. Wambaya

58. Wangkatha

59. Wardaman

60. Warlmanpa

61. Warlpiri

62. Warrungu

63. Waramungu

64. wemba Wemba

65. Wiradjuri

66. Yaegl

67. Yandrruwandha

68. Yanyuwa

69. Yindjibarndi

70. Yolngu

71. Yorta Yorta

72. Yugambeh

73. Yukulta

74. Yuwaalaraay

Not all Aboriginal groups used dilly bags - it is a word taken from dilli, used by a Queensland language group to describe a roughly conical basket carried by a tump line around the forehead. It would have been carried mostly by women and used to hold fruits, vegetables and small game. Other groups used baskets of grass fibre or bark, some utilised skin bags and some used coolamoms (called by different names depending on the language group).

Yes and no.

There is no official language for Australia: English is the default language throughout the country. However, Australians have developed and adapted a number of interesting slang terms which truly leave some overseas visitors completely baffled as to their meaning. Some of these words are derived from Australian aboriginal dialects, and some of them have simply developed from the wide mix of local English and Irish dialects which came with the early convicts.

English is the primary language in western Australia.

As English is the default language throughout Australia, people in Western Australia primarily speak English. However, there are different ethnic groups, all of which have their own language. Various European, Asian, African and American nations are represented.

In addition, there are still some indigenous languages spoken by people of the western deserts.

No. There are no official languages in Australia.

English is the main language spoken in Australia, but it is not the official language, as Australia has no declared official language.

William Lawson was a Scottish explorer who discovered and mapped the Blue Mountains in Australia in 1813, leading to the development of the first European crossing of the mountains. This discovery opened up new opportunities for settlement and expansion in the region.

"Bugger" can be a friendly, colloquial term for a rascal, or it can be used as an insult for someone who's unfair or mean-spirited. It depends entirely on the context. If one is facing a problem, it can also mean that it's an annoying problem and very difficult to figure out, e.g. "It's a real bugger why that engine keeps missing." Similarly, to "bugger up" something means to make a real mess of it. There are also more vulgar connotations, which any dictionary will list, but generally Australians do not use it in that way.

The correct term is bushwalking, which refers to on and off trail walking in natural environments, day and/or overnight. Hiking is commonly referred to in North America for day walks on defined trails. As such the use of the term hiking does not make sense in an Australian context as walking often involves travel through open dry forests and scrub where trails can become faint or non existent.

In Canada, over 200 languages are spoken, with English and French being the official languages. In Australia, there are around 300 languages spoken, but English is the primary language used for communication.

Colin Thiele was born in Eudunda, and lived his early years in the Barossa Valley of South Australia. He was educated in Adelaide, and held several academic positions in Adelaide. After he retired, he moved to Dayboro, in southeast Queensland.

The major language spoken in Australia is English.

"Yakka" (yakker, yacker) is an Australian slang term meaning "work".

Practical application: "I have just dug a big hole in the backyard. It was hard yakka in the sun."

There is no specific Australian slang for language, other than "Lingo" perhaps.

Australians sometimes refer to their own slang language as "Strine", being an extremely corrupted pronunciation of "Australian".

"Strine" was once described by a very English Brit as "holding a cigarette between your lips and speaking while moving your lips as little as possible".

Nobody but an Australian born and bred person who was brought up within the strict character defining and educational influences of Uncle Harry and Aunty Beryl from the family farm at Tangambalanga, would be able to speak Strine convincingly, or understand it well enough if listening to an expert.

English with an easily discernible Australian accent.

Oodgeroo Noonuccal. The Noonuccal comes from her tribe of the Nunukul of North Stradbroke Island.

Dr. Colin Hudson was a British-born scientist who was noted for his work of nature conservation in the island of Barbados. He was born in 1936 and died in 2004.

1. "G'day mate!" - a common greeting in Australia.
2. "No worries" - an expression used to show reassurance or that something is not a problem.
3. "Fair dinkum" - meaning genuine or true.
4. "She'll be right" - an expression used to convey that everything will be okay.

English is not considered the national language, because it has not been made official by the federal government. Instead we have a patchwork of language laws at the state and federal level that result in billions of dollars annually that taxpayers spend on costly translation services. For more information visit:

www.proenglish.org