Useful resource: Simply English Language
If you're not already following the Instagram account 'Simply English Language', make sure you follow them for useful tips on writing for...
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Sep 24, 2021
Generational language change and slang
Change is inevitable in any living language, and English's global dominance has made it particularly susceptible to such natural...
Sep 23, 2021
Case study: Language for the vaccine rollout
Now that our experience of the pandemic is shifting from lockdowns to vaccine targets, its influence on our language is also changing....
Sep 18, 2021
Internet and linguistic innovation
The internet is a natural breeding ground for all kinds of creative language use. In some cases, linguistic innovation serves a specific...
Sep 18, 2021
Case study: Brands and Aussie slang
Companies love to cash in on our unique brand of English by using it to advertise their products. The proliferation of these kinds of ads...
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 12, 2021
Case study: The rise of 'woke'
The story of woke's journey from African-American street slang to politically conservative catchcry is both long and complicated so, for...
Sep 12, 2021
Case study: 'Deadly' and 'mob' in Aboriginal English
Adjective 'deadly' and common noun 'mob' are both frequently used in Aboriginal Australian English and have become recognisable markers...
Sep 12, 2021
Case study: Nicknames in politics - friend or foe?
If you're an Australian politician, you haven't really made it until you've got a nickname. The examples below explore the purposes of...
Sep 12, 2021
Case study: 'Vaxx', 'jab' and the pandemic's enduring influence on our language
These articles both make reference to the rise in linguistic creativity among Australians when referring to the Covid-19 vaccination....
Sep 12, 2021
Case study: Adelaide footballer Cam Ellis-Yolmen and 'uncle'
In this tweet from August 2021, Adelaide footballer Cam Ellis-Yolmen congratulates fellow Indigenous player Eddie Betts on his 350th game...
Sep 12, 2021
Case study: 'Blak' - Australian Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe
Lidia Thorpe is a Senator for the Australian Greens political party, and is also an Aboriginal Gunnai-Gunditjmara woman. In this tweet...
Sep 11, 2021
Activity: Australian slang
Read the examples of Australian slang on the website below: Koalanet.com.au - List of Australian slang a) Identify 5 examples that you...
Sep 11, 2021
Ethnolects - Samoan slang
This article discusses the use of Samoan slang by those both within and outside of the Samoan-Australian community. In particular, the...
Sep 11, 2021
Case study: Arnott's Shapes and the parma/parmi debate
News.com.au - Spelling of Arnott's new chicken parmigiana-flavoured shapes causes heated debate In August 2020, Arnott's Shapes released...
Sep 11, 2021
Blak: Indigenous Australians, language, and identity
This article discusses the rise in the use of non-Standard orthography for the adjective 'blak' as a marker of identity among Indigenous...
Sep 11, 2021
The amazing linguistic flexibility of 'vibe'
Mel Magazine: Bro, do you even vibe? (published 2019) This article discusses the rise in popularity among teenagers of variations on the...
Sep 11, 2021
Internet slang and in-group membership
These websites contain discussion and examples of how innovative language use in internet forums can build in-group membership between...
Sep 11, 2021
Teenage Slang 2021
This article contains lists of teenage slang examples from 2021. Bark.us: 2021 teen slang meanings every parent should know (published...
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