BS: Do They Speak English There?

Subject: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: GUEST,amergin
Date: 26 Mar 05 - 04:18 PM

There is this girl who sits by me at work...we were talking and such...I talked about jeanie and jacinta and they being in Oz...she asks me they speak English in Oz....I go no...they speak spanish...and she buys it. Well until I start laughing....but then I got to thinking about the odd language of Oz...in reality it is an equal mixture of grunts, english, and gibberish...in other wors not a real language at asll...and it never surprises me how well Jeanie and other Ozzies I know can communicate with the outside world so well. Do they teach bilingualness on a regular basis in the schools? Or do they just grunt and point and speak gibberenglish amongst each other and put ona front of intelligent conversation with outsiders? What do you all think? Or am I the only one amazed by this phenonemon and it doesn't really make a difference on life the universe and everything?

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: Once Famous
Date: 26 Mar 05 - 04:22 PM

I thought all British middle age men talk like Oz.

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: Amos
Date: 26 Mar 05 - 04:29 PM

Not everyone is as internationally adept as Mudcatters grow to be, I guess. But I think, Amergin, you must be smoking something strange. :D


A

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 26 Mar 05 - 04:55 PM

Could you translate the first post into typical Oz language, Amergin?

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 26 Mar 05 - 07:16 PM

It's your special sex-god powers that make it seem like there is no language barrier, 'gin. :~)

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: GUEST,skipy
Date: 26 Mar 05 - 07:29 PM

Martin G, Please define "Middle age"?
Skipy

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 27 Mar 05 - 03:01 PM

Mayhap some of the eloquent Australians will ask, in reply, why the language spoken in the United States of America is called "English".

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: Strollin' Johnny
Date: 27 Mar 05 - 04:13 PM

No Martin. We speak English - the Original and Correct Version (it was invented in England, UK, that's why it's called English). Australians speak an Americanised-Gibberanglicised version of the Original and Correct Version. Americans speak complete Gibberenglish.

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: Once Famous
Date: 27 Mar 05 - 04:16 PM

Yeah, but there's more of us, so we're taking it over.

Don't worry, we'll protect you, anyway.

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: Strollin' Johnny
Date: 27 Mar 05 - 04:29 PM

Dream on. You'll only 'protect' us if there's a few billion bucks in it for you - two World Wars proved that.

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 28 Mar 05 - 07:13 AM

The Prime Minister of Australia died and went to heaven, at the golden gate St Peter asks him who he is, he says I was the Prime minister of Australia, St Peter says can you prove that ? he replies
" how the fuck can I fucking prove I'm the fucking prime minister of fucking Australia for fucks sake " St Peter says come on in.

eric

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 28 Mar 05 - 07:37 AM

Oz? He speaks Geordie.

Spanish is surely what they speak in America these days. Good idea too.

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Mar 05 - 12:02 PM

Prime Minister of Australia died and went to heaven, at the golden gate, St Peter asks him who he is, he says I was the Prime Minister of Australia. St Peter welcomes him in and presents him with a golden harp, a huge mansion on a beautiful hill and a prime seat next to God himself for a huge feast in his honor. "What the fuck, this is the fucking greatest," said the Prime Minister, "How the fuck do I rate such fucking fantastic treatment?" St Peter leans in and tells him, "We've never had a Prime Minister from Australia here before."

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Mar 05 - 11:19 PM

What language do Oz Aboriginals speak?

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: Nerd
Date: 29 Mar 05 - 11:25 PM

In Oz they Speak Munchkin, Flying Monkey, and a number of other languages.

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: Amos
Date: 29 Mar 05 - 11:53 PM

The Aborigines speak Abo, of course. Innit?

A

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: GUEST,DG
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 12:06 AM

Amos


How rude you are.



D G

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: Amos
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 12:20 AM

I am sorry. Let me rephrase that. The aboriginal people of Australia have many indigenous language which they speak, which some illiterates group under the collective term "Aboriginal". But this is meretricious and rude and certainly inadequate. An inventory of Australian indigenous languages should include, at a minumum, the following:

4. Listing of Aboriginal Languages of Western Australia south of the Kimberley Region



4.1 Languages of the South-East
4.1.1 Kalaku
4.1.2 Kalaamaya
4.1.3 Mirning
4.1.4 Ngatjumaya
4.1.5 Nyaki-Nyaki



4.2 The South-West


4.2.1 Balardung
4.2.2 Bibbulman
4.2.3 Binjarub
4.2.4 Goreng
4.2.5 Kaniyang
4.2.6 Minang
4.2.7 Wajuk
4.2.8 Wardandi
4.2.9 Wiilman
4.2.10 Wudjaari
4.2.11 Yuwat



4.3 Moora to the Gascoyne
4.3.1 Amangu
4.3.2 Badimaya
4.3.3 Bidungu
4.3.4 Buluguda
4.3.5 Daguda
4.3.6 Damala
4.3.7 Inggarda
4.3.8 Malkana
4.3.9 Mulyara
4.3.10 Nhanta
4.3.11 Wajarri
4.3.12 Watjanti
4.3.13 Widi



4.4 North of the Gascoyne River to Hedland
4.4.1 Banyjima
4.4.2 Jiwarli
4.4.3 Jurruru
4.4.4 Kariyarra
4.4.5 Kurrama
4.4.6 Martuthunira
4.4.7 Maya
4.4.8 Ngarluma
4.4.9 Nhuwala
4.4.10 Payungu
4.4.11 Pinikura
4.4.12 Purduna
4.4.13 Thalanji
4.4.14 Tharrkari
4.4.15 Thiin
4.4.16 Warriyangka
4.4.17 Yindjibarndi
4.4.18 Yinhawangka



4.5 Hedland to the Kimberley
4.5.1 Karajarri
4.5.2 Mangarla/ Mangala
4.5.3 Ngarla
4.5.4 Nyamal
4.5.5 Nyangumarta
4.5.6 Nyiyaparli
4.5.7 Palyku
4.5.8 Walmajarri



4.6 Languages of the Western Desert
4.6.1 Kartujarra
4.6.2 Kukatja
4.6.3 Manjiljarra
4.6.4 Ngaatjatjarra
4.6.5 Ngaanyatjarra
4.6.6 Ngala (-wangka)
4.6.7 Pintupi
4.6.8 Pitjantjatjara
4.6.9 Wanggatha/Wangkatja
4.6.10 Wangkajunga
4.6.11 Warnman
4.6.12 Yulparija

Post-contact between the Aboriginal peoples and the white races two variants have been adopted by the aboriginals in seeking to acquire English, in addition to English itself which many aboriginals speak perfectly well. The variants are called Kriol and "aboriginal English", which is a pidgin blend.

See http://coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVLPages/AborigPages/LANG/WA/contents.htm

My apologies for being illiterate and ignorant and rude in my first post.


A

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: GUEST,The Artist Formerly Known As Strollin' Johnn
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 05:36 AM

Not a lot of people know that.
S:0)

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: Tannywheeler
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 06:01 PM

Gasp -- Amos!! A post to be printed, kept, and used as a benchmark for erudition and scholarliness. One is silenced in awe and humility. In worshipful gratitude..............Tw

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: GUEST,Guy Who Thinks
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 06:11 PM

Though the traditional culture of aboriginal Australians is materially limited, their languages are recognized as probably the most grammatically complex on earth.

Some philosophers might suggest that that makes them the most meticulous, most observant people on earth.

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Mar 05 - 07:43 AM

Sadly, Amos's list of Aboriginal languages is a picture of what used to exist in W. Australia, the only parts of it still true to any extent are those of the Western Desert and Port Hedland northwards. Even some of those languages are only spoken by old people. An all too familiar story of one culture ousting another.

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 31 Mar 05 - 08:35 AM

check out section 8 for a list of current Aboriginal languages that are included in the Australian Bureau of Statistics Language Classification. As last Guest said, some have only a few speakers.

sandra

ABS Classification of languages

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: Amos
Date: 31 Mar 05 - 10:20 AM

That is a great loss to the human race, and I hope efforts are afoot to capture those tongues which are declining in use, so that at least the miracle of their formation and usage will not be lost.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: Arnie
Date: 31 Mar 05 - 02:42 PM

I once read that there was an African lady who was the only remaining speaker of her particular tongue. It did make me wonder how she managed to have a conversation.... Fortunately, a recording was made of her speaking the language before she passed away. Had efforts not been made in the UK, I suppose we would have lost some of our Celtic tongues by now which would also be a tragedy. Even the Yorkshire I spoke as a lad is dying out - I recall the regular usage of 'thee' and 'thou' (or it's common variant 'tha') amongst older people in W Yorks but this form of address is not heard now, tha' knows....

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: Bill D
Date: 31 Mar 05 - 04:42 PM

It is important to keep the best records we can of the various languages so that we can study the development of human culture.....it is NOT so important that all of these languages be retained by local cultures. Global changes make having an obscure variant as your first language a hindrance to progress.
(I do encourage them to keep up their original language and traditions if possible, though....it helps define who we are)
In another 100 years, I'd think almost everyone will probably speak one of about 5 major languages....the WWW/Internet will push this process rapidly.

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: John O'L
Date: 31 Mar 05 - 06:50 PM

Ask any English-speaking person to sound out the vowels. They will all sound them out the same way, Scottish, Kiwi, American, all of them.
Australians however, are the only ones who actually speak that way.

That's why it sounds like gibberish: It is correct.

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: Layah
Date: 31 Mar 05 - 07:08 PM

Linguists have been rushing around the US trying to document last speakers of various languages, and I'm sure they're doing the same thing in Australia. I heard a story of a Native American language, and the last speaker was a woman with no teeth, so they don't actually know what that language sounds like, because they only have recordings of her.

It's sad when languages die, although practical concerns often lead them to. It is quite common when the older generation suddenly realizes they are the last speakers of their language they will make a concerted effort to revive it in younger people. Sometimes it even works. I heard a story of a Native American group who now have a population of old people who know the language, young people who don't, and then children who know it again. It skipped a generation as the older people went to the little children and had a program to teach them the language.

A language is a very strong embodiment of a culture, especially for a minority group speaking a minority language. A bit of the culture is lost when they loose a language and that is sad, but it happens. What drives me crazy is when one culture sets out to ruin someone else, and purposefully takes away their language. It happened in the past to the native people in both America and Australia. Children were taken away from their parents and put into schools where they were punished for speaking their native languages. That's not what has caused the natives languages to die out, but it certainly speeded the process up quite a lot.

Sorry for going on about it, I'm a linguist, and this is something I feel passionate about.

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: John O'L
Date: 31 Mar 05 - 08:31 PM

One might have thought that the worse had been done, but with information technology and ecotourism (an oxymoron if ever there was one), Aboriginal culture is fading faster than ever before. Well, at least at a sustained level. They reckon a language a year is being lost.

This will continue. Aboriginal population is too low and too remote to make a difference, and Europeans will always, understandably, vote for their children's welfare before that of a stranger.
Not that there is any alternate policy on Aboriginal culture to vote for anyway.

Australians like to see themselves as being liberal and compasionate, and when it comes to major disasters they will jump in boots & all, making a barely discernable ripple of good, while in their own back paddock atrocities of negligence are being perpetrated on a daily basis.

Australians are not bad people, just a bit too comfortable, a bit too gullible.

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 01 Apr 05 - 02:28 AM

Well, there's an advert for antacid running on UK tv with a US female traffic cop directing lefthand drive traffic on an American street that's dubbed into English English!!

RtS

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: GUEST,Lighter
Date: 01 Apr 05 - 08:38 PM

Much of what we know about Cornish (which is related to Welsh) was recorded from bilingual speakers before 1900. The last known monolingual speaker, Dolly Pentraeth, died in 1777. There's been a considerable movement to revive the language.

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: GUEST,Lighter
Date: 01 Apr 05 - 08:58 PM

Here's a brief sample of 18th century Cornish with an English translation by the original writer :

http://www.ex.ac.uk/~ajbeer/bodin.htm

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: Amos
Date: 01 Apr 05 - 09:36 PM

Thanks, Lighter -- this is a fascinating study. You can of course discern certain words: egance (eighty) pemp (five) youk (young and cock (boat) which resonate with later English forms but do so like the most ancient of antecedents. Really interesting! Thanks for the link!

A

Subject: RE: BS: Do They Speak English There?
From: GUEST,Lighter
Date: 02 Apr 05 - 08:31 AM

For a sample of Manx (once widely spoken on the Isle of Man), try

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/manx.htm