Australian English<\/p>\n
As an Australian and an English language teacher, I strongly
\nobject to the article on the front page of Sunday's The Jakarta
\nPost, Sept. 2, 2001 entitled Will British English survive?<\/p>\n
Having visited Indonesia over 12 years and lived here for five
\nyears, I have had to endure endless people (particularly in Bali)
\nwho, on learning that I am Australian, say \"G'die, mite\". I have,
\nat times, been driven to say, \"No one in Australia ever says
\nG'die, mite, nor even, Good day, mate, to me\".<\/p>\n
The stereotypical Australian is a tough, redneck bushman (or,
\nmuch less likely, woman) -- probably on a horse or in a pub in a
\nremote rural area. In fact, Australia is the most urbanized
\ncountry in the world. Such stereotypes are ill-informed and don't
\nbegin to reflect the complex reality of a nation.<\/p>\n
English has become the international language, at least for a
\nwhile. It has many variations of accent and vocabulary, even in
\nthe small island where it developed, many more in the USA, in
\nAustralia and wherever it is used. We have Singlish in Singapore,
\nIndonesian adaptations (e.g. finding a solusi and konflik) and
\nindeed stereotyped Indian English (the source of many English
\ncomedies), \"I am not knowing\".<\/p>\n
All languages have rules, particularly when used formally. But
\na living language constantly changes, adapts to people's needs,
\nto allow for wide variation and inventiveness (The rules, too,
\nchange -- who nowadays says, \"To whom were you speaking?\"). Those
\nwho attempt to nail it down to one standard of correct speaking
\nare destroying its vitality and just below the surface (as this
\narticle demonstrates) lurk snobbery, racism, a lack of cultural
\nknowledge and those tedious, inaccurate, worn out stereotypes.<\/p>\n
SCILLA WOOLLEY<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/australian-english-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }