Here are all the articles about Australian English that have appeared in my newsletter English in Progress about world Englishes and English language change
February 2023
The Guardian about Australian terms for food
January 2023
The internet was also full of articles celebrating the Australian love of shortening words the past two weeks, though this is something less new (to my mind at least).
More Australian slang
This list by Adam Sharpe includes “To put on the wobbly boot” (to get drunk), “I’m not here to fuck spiders.” (I mean business) and “It charges like a wounded bull” (that place is expensive).
Comparing New Zealand English to Australian English
“ambiguity seems to be a hallmark of New Zealand English and it’s true that Aussie terms sometimes seem to make more sense: the meaning of outback, for example, is more self-explanatory than wop-wops, and an overseas visitor is more likely to understand what you’re on about if you tell them to pack their swimmers or bathers for the beach than their togs”
November 2022
Kate Burridge of Melbourne-based Monash university discusses the Australian slang word “nong” (= stupid person). People are using it less because they are worried it is racist, but its etymology suggests the meaning came about due to the sound of the word, rather than any actual meaning.
In Australia, students are allowed to sit their finals while using language-advice tool Grammarly.
Heddwen Newton is an English teacher and translator. She is fascinated by contemporary English and the way English changes. Her newsletter is English in Progress. 1100 subscribers and growing every day!