Adjective 'deadly' and common noun 'mob' are both frequently used in Aboriginal Australian English and have become recognisable markers of Indigenous identity. They can be used for many purposes, including building solidarity, showing support for the Indigenous community, and targeting the Indigenous demographic in messaging campaigns.
In Aboriginal Australian English, the adjective 'deadly' has undergone a semantic change. It is used to mean 'great' or 'awesome', and can be seen reasonably frequently in social media posts by Indigenous Australians, including celebrities like Miranda Tapsell and Jessica Mauboy. Follow them on social media and see if you can spot it in a post!
In June 2021, the AFL promoted the annual Sir Doug Nicholls Round through the hashtag #AFLDeadly on social media, along with a boomerang emoji. The use of the adjective 'deadly' shows solidarity with the league's Indigenous players and represents the AFL's support for their culture and communities.
In the spirit of the round, AFL team Brisbane Lions also used the noun 'mob' with possessive adjective/determiner 'our' in their promotion of the league's Indigenous round. In this example, it is shown alongside photos of their Indigenous players, indicating the lexeme's positive connotations of community and belonging.
Aboriginal English terms can also be seen in campaigns aimed at Indigenous Australians, as illustrated below in an Australian Government promotion encouraging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to get their flu vaccine.
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