Stop! Grammar time ... kind of.

 

Mellonie, B. (2003). Bruce's Aussie dictionary. Camberwell, Victoria: Penguin, [n.p.].

This resource can be found here. 

What do I mean by kind of'? Well, this book is an English language book; but ... it focusses on Australian sayings and slang. Maybe you are used to hearing it everyday, maybe you don't realise you use the terms yourself; or maybe it has been awhile with all those strong American accents you are used to on YouTube?

Regardless, Australian slang is part of culture and language in Australia today. A lot of it is used as a shorthand version of saying things that may 'take too long' to say. For example:

s'arvo = this afternoon

See how much time you save here? 😀

Anyway, the book is written for a young audience and so doesn't go into a lot of history, but it does come with phrases and words, definitions and examples. Here's a couple you may (and may not) have heard before:

... as = an emphasis of emotion on your circumstance or emotion. For example: busy as ; hot as.

chockers = completely full. For example: that car is chockers, mate!

Digger / digger = Australian soldier; or also another term for 'mate'.

fair dinkum = describes something that is true. For example: Ben's a fair dinkum friend.

knackered = tired.

Nick off = go away.

No worries = Used to put people at ease. 

Ocker = refers to someone who is very Australian in how they speak and act.

Packin' it = someone who is feeling scared. 

Rapt = someone who is happy or excited about something. For example: Miguel was rapt to see his old mate Fergus, since they hadn't seen each other for twelve years.

skerrick = the smallest amount of something. For example: I don't have a skerrick to share.

uey = shortened version of U-turn.

Those are just some examples. But, if you don't know these and have heard the terms before, at least now you will be able to use them. And if you haven't used them before? Bring them back into the conversation. 

And if you like a challenge? Soon you'll be speaking like this:

"Billy had an ace time swimming with Mick. It had been a great arvo swimmin’ at the back of Bourke and no one gettin’ aggro at the other. Sure it had been hot as, but Mick was a true-blue bloke.

After the swim, Billy had to choof off back to the old man to have tucker ‘til he was full as a goog. It was a ripper of a day; the best in yonks!"

Exactly 😀

Stop! Grammar time.

 

Merrick, D. (2015). Blake's grammar and punctuation guide. Glebe, NSW: Pascal, [69].

This resource can be found here. 

As the image above shows, commas break up parts of sentences and helps strengthen understanding of the clauses in the sentences. In case you don't know, clauses are the basic make-ups of sentences and we have covered this in previous Grammar Times.

A comma enables a sentence to be longer, breaking up two separate ideas but putting them in the one sentence. These ideas can be in the middle, or at the beginning, of a sentence:

The hiker, who had been lost for many days, was found hidden in a cave.

Afterwards, we had lunch on the beach.

lightning flashed and, within a few minutes, the storm struck.

By day, he is Bruce Wayne. By night, he is Batman. 

However; commas can do so much more than make our sentences longer! 

Commas also help list items:

I like strawberries, bananas and mangoes. Roy doesn't. Roy likes apples, pears, figs and durian.

As a note, you do not need one before the "and" in your lists. It will flow on without adding the extra comma.

But be aware of placing too many commas in your sentences. It will confuse readers and not make much sense grammatically. Just look at the next example:

Hey, come, back, here Ken. You, have, forgotten to, take this, with, you.

See how the sentence does not flow very well? Now, there are other punctuation marks like semi-colons and colons that help with pauses and lists; but we will look at those another time. 

But be wise with commas. They comma at you anytime you read or write!

NAIDOC Week

 

NAIDOC Week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

2020 National NAIDOC logo 

The term NAIDOC originates from 'National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee' which in the beginning organised national activities for NAIDOC Week. This weekly observance is also originally held in July; however, because of the climate of this year, NAIDOC Week has been moved to November 8 - 15.

NAIDOC Week also always has an accompanying theme connected each year. The theme for 2020 is:

Always was, always will be.

Australia's Indigenous people are the oldest culture on the planet, with over 65 000+ years of rich history, culture and Dreamtime. Indigenous Australians are our first farmers, artists, navigators and astronomers; doing this all with strong connection and respect for land and ensuring that it was sustainable for future use.

Indigenous Australians are spiritually, culturally and historically connected to the land, its water, inhabitants and sky. They are our First Nations people; always were and always will be.

To learn more about the history of NAIDOC Week, click here. 

To see what events and programs are being run Australia-wide to celebrate NAIDOC Week, click here. 

To see what events and programs are being run through Camden Council to celebrate NAIDOC Week, click here.

Julie Cohen's "Louis & Louise"

 

You can find this book here.

Cohen's novel attempts to look at the life of a person from two different aspects: born male or female. The character therefore, is supposed to show the development of what could happen depending on the gender stereotypes lived with. The summary itself claims:

"The day they were born is when their story begun. In one, Louis David Alder is born a male. In the other, Louise Dawn Alder is born a female. Louis and Louise are the same in many ways - they have the same best friends, the same parents, the same dream of being a writer and leaving their hometown in Maine as soon as they can. But because of their gender, everything looks different. Certain things will happen in their lives to shape them, hurt them, build them back up again. But what will bring them back home?"

It makes the book sound very intriguing ... but does it deliver? To be honest; I don't think the stereotypes and the choices that surround the characters are strongly shown throughout the novel. The characters show how things in life have impacted them, but perhaps if the situations had been reversed, their outcomes may have been the same? The impact could be based off the situations, not the sex or gender of the characters. There were some choice I found illogical by the characters also; and it left me wondering if these choices were put there just to show differences between Louis and Louise. But what if they had been reversed and played out onto the protagonist of the opposite sex? What choices and changes would have occurred then?

What I did enjoy was the landscape of the small town feel and how this can impose on how a person should live, compared to possibly more "freedom" in a larger city. This also has to do with familial ties, context and choices as well; not just gender ones. 

In the end, if nothing else once you read this, it opens up questions about gender stereotypes and how these are portrayed depending on the sex of a child. It is an easy read and an introduction into a world of fiction that tries to look at society in all its fullness and flaws. 

Links for you

If you wanted something meatier in terms of sex and gender (as suggested by Cohen's work), you could also read:

Left hand of darkness

Ursula K. Le Guin

Secret life of Luke Livingstone

Charity Norman

This child of ours

Sadie Pearce