Case study: Pronouns and identity
As we have discussed many times this year, language is always changing. One of the most interesting changes currently happening across...
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Jul 17, 2022
Case study: Changing names, changing values
Do you know the traditional Indigenous name for the land you are standing on? Well, you'd better find out here, because it is becoming...
Jul 9, 2022
Case study: Language from the 2022 election
The 2022 Australian federal election has come and gone in May this year, so let's look back at some examples of language use by and about...
Jul 8, 2022
Case study: Gender equality and language
Language reveals a great deal about a person's values and attitudes towards certain groups in society, and this is commonly seen in...
Jul 7, 2022
Case study: PC apologies, sorry not sorry (2022 edition)
Every year there is inevitably some celebrity or public figure who says something in the public eye which is viewed as offensive or...
Jun 8, 2022
Useful Resource: RMIT Guide to Inclusive Language
The attached document is a 'guide to inclusive language' published by RMIT University. It contains a range of linguistic examples and...
May 29, 2022
Case study: PC language in lyrics
Songs which represent institutions will often undergo lyrical amendments if the language used in the lyrics is no longer deemed to be in...
May 10, 2022
Texting etiquette
This article from April 2022 explores the etiquette around texting as a form of communication, including how different generations...
May 9, 2022
Case study: Honorifics in journalism
'Honorifics' are the titles we use to address people in formal language, including: Mr, Ms, Mrs, Dr, Sir, Your Honour, etc. They can be...
May 8, 2022
Case study: Acknowledgement of Country
If you have recently witnessed a ceremony (for example: a school assembly, meeting or presentation), the speaker may have delivered an...
Dec 9, 2021
Useful Resource: ABC 'Learn English'
The ABC produces a series of articles and videos about the English language, often featuring useful metalanguage which appears in the VCE...
Sep 29, 2021
Case study: Gender-neutral language in sport
Linguistic changes generally reflect changes taking place in wider society, and this has certainly been the case in the sporting world...
Sep 18, 2021
Emoji(s), identity and language change
These articles discuss how emoji can serve a variety of communicative functions, illustrate generational differences in language use, and...
Sep 16, 2021
The role of dictionaries in recording language change
This article from September 2020 discusses how Dictionary.com must adapt its entries for certain words due to the constant changes...
Sep 16, 2021
Case study: PM Scott Morrison's 'not particularly flash' lexical choice
This article discusses Prime Minister Scott Morrison's controversial use of the colloquial phrase 'wasn't a particularly flash day' to...
Sep 13, 2021
Case study: Paralympics and language
Preferred terminology around disability can be difficult to navigate, especially given that even people with disabilities disagree about...
Sep 13, 2021
Case study: Australia Day vs Invasion Day
It seems that every year the debate around the date for our national holiday grows more heated. Let's take a look at some of the...
Sep 11, 2021
Women and hedging
This article discusses whether women really are more likely than men to apologise unnecessarily. Allegedly, women are more likely to...
Sep 11, 2021
Case study: Lollies, cheese, and PC language
In 2021, both Allen's Lollies and Coon Cheese decided to change the brand names of their products following criticism about potentially...
Sep 11, 2021
LGBTIQA+ communities and terminology - Australian government website
This website, created by the Australian government, aims to educate Australians on terminology used within the LGBTIQA+ community and by...
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