Australian English

English is the main official and spoken language in Australia, although some of the surviving Aboriginal communities maintain their native languages and a considerable number of first and sometimes second-generation migrants are bilingual. However, the version of English, used in Australia is quite different to “standard English”. Australian English is more often called “Strine”. This word is a shortened form of the word “Australian”. Many argue that it is not by any means a true language, but how much it is a dialect and how much is slang is very arguable. Even when Strine itself is not used, Australian language is contradictory: it combines a mocking disrespect for established authority, particularly if it is pompous or out of touch with reality, with distinctive upside-down sense of humour. Australians take delight in dubbing a tall man “Shorty”, a silent one “Rowdy”, a bald man “Curly” and redhead “Blue”. Words are often assimilated and turned into a diminutive. Australian English is similar in many respects to British English but it also borrows from American English. The word “truck” is used instead of “lorry” and “freeway” is the most common word for a high-speed road, though “motorway” and “highway” are also used. Spoken Australian English is also generally far more tolerant of expletives and insults than other variants. Australians are also known for their directness or “why call a spade a spade, when you can call it a bloody shovel”, which can lead to misunderstanding and offence on the part of Australia`s Asian neighbours.

Another notable trait of Australian English usage, inherited from Britain, is the use of deadpan humour, in which the joker wlill make an outrageous or ridiculous statement without explicity indicating they are joking. Americans visiting Australia have gained themselves a reputation for gullibility and a lack of sense of humour by not recognizing that tales of kangaroos hopping across the Sydney Harbour Bridge are examples of this propensity. Many distinctive Australian words have been driven into extinction or near extinction in recent decades, under the homogenizing influence of mass media and imported culture. This process is widely regretted but seems to be irreversible. The following are listed as much of the literature concerning Australia available in Ukraine will frequently use these words: bonzer – really good, cobber – friend, drongo – an idiot, galah – a fool, sheila – a young woman, chook – a chicken.

In 1981 the Macquarie Dictionary of Australian English was published after 10 years of research and planning. Editions have been published ever since. There is also an Oxford Dictionary of Australian English.

I. Answer the following questions to the text:

1. What immediate images does Australia give you? 2. How many flags does Australia have? What are they? 3. What is depicted on the Australian coat of arms? 4. What is the capital of Australia? What other large Australian cities do you know? 5. What kind of cli­mate is there in Australia? 6. What unique natural phenomenon of Australia can you name? 7. What are the major regions of settlement in Australia and how are they different to the bush? 8. Who was the first famous Ukrainian to visit Australia at the end of the 19^th century? 9. What do you know about the Ukrainian immigration to Australia? 10. How and when was Australia discovered by Europeans? Where does its name come from? 11. How and by whom was Australia started as a colony, and when did it become a dominion? 12. Who were the first European settlers in Australia? 13. What was the White Australia Policy and when did it end? 14. What were the major factors in the formation of the Australian national iden­tity and what are its main features? 15. Has Australia attempted to become a presidential republic? 16. What are the features of Australian Strine? 17. How can you describe in gen­eral the Australian system of government? 18. What religions exist in Australia? 19. What are the most popular kinds of sport in Australia? 20. What is "Waltzing Matilda" to a native Australian? 21. What are the major public holidays in Australia? 22. Name some typical Australian dishes. 23. How is health care provided for in Australia? 24. Why does Australia have unique animals and what are they? 25. Who are the most famous Australians?

II. Supply the word or phrase from the vocabulary list which correctly completes the sentence:

Down under, Uluru, Displaced Persons, Rainbow Serpent, Terra Australis, New Hol­land, New South Wales, the Nine Convicts, egalitarianism, New Guinea, the Transportation ships, waltzing matilda, platypus, a kangaroo and an emu, Dreamtime, Aussie, the Austral­ian cricket team

1. The old British colloquial name for Australia... is still used in today's British press. 2. The Australian coat of arms features....3. One of the wonders of the world called by the Aborigines...is the largest monolith of coarse-grained red sandstone. 4. The refugees called... started to arrive in Australia in 1948. 5. According to the aboriginal legend describing a... the Australian world was created by a.... 6. The first humans moved south to Australia from New Guinea. 7. The term...meaning South Land was used on maps by the Flemish geographer Mercator. 8. Other old names for Australia included... and.... 9.... brought the first settlers and convicts to Australia. 10.... brought to Australia in 1848 in a quarter of a century became much respected people holding high positions in Australia, the USA and Canada. 11.... is the colloquial name for an Australian. 12. The belief that each man was equal, called..., was the important feature of Bushrangers. 13.... is today regarded as the dominant team in world cricket. 14. To... was to hit the road with a swag on your back, a common sight in the past and now. 15. A typically Australian curved stick used as a weapon or for sport is called a..... 16. The duck-billed... is a unique Australian mammal that reproduce by laying eggs.

III. Decide whether the statements are true or false:

1. Australia is the largest island in the world. 2. Australia has humid tropical climate. 3. The Aboriginal Flag is the National Flag of Australia. 4. Tasmania is independent of Australia. 5. Sydney is the capital of Tasmania. 6. The Great Barrier Reef is on the World Heritage List because of its unique size and many different plants and fish. 7. The Popula­tion of Australia is 20 million people. 8. There are still many uninhabited areas in Australia. 9. The Portuguese navigator Pedro Fernandez de Quiros reached the New Hebrides in 1606 and gave the name Australia del Espiritu Santo (Southland of the Holy Spirit) to all of the Southern regions as far as the South Pole. 10. The Colony of New South Wales was estab­lished in Sydney as a British Crown Colony. 11. Bushrangers are Australian police. 12. The version of English used in Australia is different to Anglo-English. 13. Rhyming slang is never used in Australian English. 14. The Group of Eight are the most prestigious and re­search-intensive Australian universities. 15. The most popular Australian cricketing heroes are the most outrageous.

IV. Write the letter of the best answer according to the information in the text:

a) A boomerang is an agricultural implement.

b) A boomerang is a curved stick used as a weapon or for sport.

c) A boomerang is an Australian marsupial.

a) The Duck-billed Platypus reproduces by laying eggs.

b) The Duck-billed Platypus reproduces by giving birth.

c) The Duck-billed Platypus reproduces by splitting in two halves.

a) Kangaroos and wallabies are quite different marsupials.

b) Wallabies are really just small kangaroos.

c) Wallabies are bigger kangaroos.

a. Ned Kelly was a famous outlaw.

b. Ned Kelly is a literary character.

c. Ned Kelly is a national hero.

a) Kylie Minogue is a famous Australian singer and actress.

b) Kylie Minogue is a famous American singer and actress.

c) Kylie Minogue is a famous English singer and actress.

a) Rupert Murdoch is a Governor-General of Australia.

b) Rupert Murdock is the most influential media proprietor in the world.

c) Rupert Murdoch is a famous Australian actor.

a) The Dreamtime is the period of time when ancestors of men created life in Aus­tralia.

b) The Dreamtime is life in Heaven.

c) The Dreamtime is the period of time in future when life would be perfect.

a) The Bush is the rural or isolated districts of Australia.

b) The Bush is a kind of plant.

c) The Bush is a name of a territory in Australia.

V. Identify the events in Australian history related to the following names:

Harold Thomas, Mikolo Miklouha-Maclay, Mercator, Abel Tasman, Pedro Fernandez de Quiros, James Cook, Matthew Flinders, Lachlan Macquarie, Arthur Philipp, Sir Charles Duffy, Prime Minister Howard, Macquarie, Tom Wills, Dennis Lillee, Banjo Paterson, Ned Kelly

VI. Match the events in the first column to the dates in the second column:

The Flags Act 1901

The Commonwealth of Australia July 1995

Abel Tasman sighted Tasmania 1824

The Aboriginal Flag was proclaimed a "Flag of Australia" 1975

Racial Discrimination Act 1642

The name Australia was in common use 1954

De Quiros used the name Austrialia del Espiritu Santo 1999

Mikolo Miklouha-Maclay visited Australia 1770

First British criminals were transported to Australia 1606

James Cook gave the eastern coast the name of new South Wales 1878

The name Terra Australis was used on maps by Mercator 1718

A major referendum on presidential republic 1569

VII Match the following words and word combinations to their correct meaning:

Down Under The British name for Australia

Uluru Farmers in Victoria

The Ashes Popular Australian pop song

Aussie The largest monolith in the world

Lamingtons Traditional Australian meat pie in thick green pea soup

Outback, Interior, Coastal A colloquial name for Australian

Selectors A type of sponge cake squares coated in chocolate and

coconut

Waltzing Matilda The three broad regions of settlement

Squatters A typically Australian savoury, strong-tasting spread

Strine A symbol of victory in the cricket test match series

A pie floater Australian English

Vegemite Men who ran stock on large stations