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The Story of Australian English
The English language arrived in Australia with the first motley bunch of European settlers on January 26, 1788. Today there is a distinctive Australian regional dialect with its own place among the global family of “Englishes.” How did this come about? Where did the distinctive pattern, accent, and verbal inventions that make up Aussie English come from? A lively narrative, this book tells the story of the birth, rise, and triumphant progress of the colorful dingo lingo that we know today as Aussie English.
256 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2015
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67 people want to read
About the author
Kel Richards
66 books20 followersKevin Barry "Kel" Richards (born 8 February 1946) is an Australian author, journalist and radio personality.
Richards has written a series of crime novels and thrillers for adult readers which includes The Case of the Vanishing Corpse, Death in Egypt and An Outbreak of Darkness.
Richards currently presents ABC NewsRadio's weekend afternoons, which includes regular Wordwatch segments. Wordwatch is a feature introduced by Richards. Initially developed as a "filler" program for the radio programs to allow time for changes of people or locations, it tapped into an interest by the listening public and several books have been produced based on the show's research. In November 2003 the thousandth episode of the show was produced.
Richards can also be heard on ABC Local Radio programs including Nightlife (national) and Evenings in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.
Richards has written a series of crime novels and thrillers for adult readers which includes The Case of the Vanishing Corpse, Death in Egypt and An Outbreak of Darkness.
Richards currently presents ABC NewsRadio's weekend afternoons, which includes regular Wordwatch segments. Wordwatch is a feature introduced by Richards. Initially developed as a "filler" program for the radio programs to allow time for changes of people or locations, it tapped into an interest by the listening public and several books have been produced based on the show's research. In November 2003 the thousandth episode of the show was produced.
Richards can also be heard on ABC Local Radio programs including Nightlife (national) and Evenings in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 20, 2015
"Aussies are extremely inventive where language is concerned".
Fascinating, easy to read book. I have always loved listening to Kel Richards 'Wordwatch', on the radio. This book is well worth the read.
Fascinating, easy to read book. I have always loved listening to Kel Richards 'Wordwatch', on the radio. This book is well worth the read.
February 11, 2018
The Word Lists in this book are an absolute hoot. Great to see how Aussie English has evolved over the years. Here's to more new words in the years to come.
December 3, 2023
I enjoyed this book more than I expected to. It was an easy and pleasant read, offering a casual journey through the story of Australian English. It is neither too detailed nor too simple.
At times it did veer into the cringeworthy, with some jokes that were perhaps funny a generation or two earlier. And that cringe element is one worth thinking about. There is a strain of Australian culture and language which is definitely cringeworthy. The book details this but doesn’t highlight it: the ocker, ‘strine’ way of talking and speaking, which seems either a petty attempt to be distinct (perhaps drawn from anti-Britishness), or just cultural barbarism (like, for example, London’s offensive ‘MLE’ dialect).
That a fair proportion of what we think are Australianisms are in fact regional UK words that died out back home (like chook for chicken) is amusing. And Australia’s states in many ways resemble English counties with regards to language and culture: fairly similar, but with some interesting local distinctions. My parochial heart always loves it when an author notes the fact that South Australia has its oddities.
But the reality is Australian English is very normal relative to other dialects and the author makes this clear. Perhaps 80-90% of Aussies speak and use language in an ordinary way, and only a small minority speak ocker or strine. But we all have the ability to tap into it from time to time in order to take the piss!
Good book. Worth reading!
At times it did veer into the cringeworthy, with some jokes that were perhaps funny a generation or two earlier. And that cringe element is one worth thinking about. There is a strain of Australian culture and language which is definitely cringeworthy. The book details this but doesn’t highlight it: the ocker, ‘strine’ way of talking and speaking, which seems either a petty attempt to be distinct (perhaps drawn from anti-Britishness), or just cultural barbarism (like, for example, London’s offensive ‘MLE’ dialect).
That a fair proportion of what we think are Australianisms are in fact regional UK words that died out back home (like chook for chicken) is amusing. And Australia’s states in many ways resemble English counties with regards to language and culture: fairly similar, but with some interesting local distinctions. My parochial heart always loves it when an author notes the fact that South Australia has its oddities.
But the reality is Australian English is very normal relative to other dialects and the author makes this clear. Perhaps 80-90% of Aussies speak and use language in an ordinary way, and only a small minority speak ocker or strine. But we all have the ability to tap into it from time to time in order to take the piss!
Good book. Worth reading!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews