With a rich migration history, the Australian context has provided a fascinating and fertile landscape through which to explore the patterns of linguistic and sociolinguistic variation which arise when languages and cultures are transplanted from earlier, often bilingual, environments to a new… read more
This paper summarizes some discussion around the myth of the inevitability of second language attrition and first language reversion in the elderly. This myth has motivated Australian policy on ethnospecific aged care. The research base in this area was greatly enhanced by Kees de Bot’s visit to… read more
In recent years, there has been a rapid evolution in the demographics of English speaking communities and individuals around the world, with an unprecedented growth in the number of users and learners of English. In the majority of cases, these learners and users are those who would traditionally… read more
Language is crucial in our lives and to all disciplines. It affects our well-being individually and collectively and touches important sociopolitical issues. Linguists/applied linguists have exciting opportunities for interdisciplinary research and to work in contexts personally meaningful to them.… read more
Choice of address forms, a socially crucial feature in German communication, is context-dependent on situations (a) where the unmarked form of address is du (T), (b) where it is Sie (V), and (c) where the two systems (a and b) coexist. The first two situations are, apart from their fuzzy edges,… read more
This article explores the role of language used by the Australian prime minister and other politicians in swaying Australian public opinion against ‘boat people’, focusing especially on particular lexical items. The article contextualizes the representation and treatment of asylum seekers and the… read more
This paper explores ‘period of residence’ as a factor in the maintenance of an immigrant language, based on the example of Hungarian in Australia. Hungarian speakers arrived in Australia from several different source countries including Hungary, Romania (Transylvania), and areas of the formers… read more
This paper compares two sets of data from the same year, 2001 – the numbers of students taking languages other than English at primary and secondary level, and census statistics for the home use of languages other than English. The data draws attention to languages that are taught principally in… read more
This paper offers an analysis of the 1991 Census language data in relation to language maintenance and shift. It draws attention to the increased diversity, the rising importance of certain languages of international and regional significance in our population and the variations in maintenance… read more
The following brief survey attempts to discuss the scope, research bases, methodologies, outcomes and applications of studies of spoken discourse in Australia. The survey is not exhaustive but aims to capture the diversity of research work being carried out in different areas of spoken discourse… read more
This paper builds on ongoing research on communication in English between migrants of diverse backgrounds in Melbourne work-places. Subjects from various European and South-east Asian backgrounds were videoed responding to videoed role plays between European and South-east Asians based on… read more
The recent White Paper, Australia’s Language – The Australian Language and Literacy Policy, is the latest contribution to the history of language policies in Australia. This article explores that history, giving particular attention to each of the string of policy documents released since the… read more
This paper reports on a project examining the use of English between speakers of differing non-English speaking backgrounds in an industrial context. This is the most multilingual sphere of Australian life, and at the same time the one in which non-English speakers are most likely to use English.… read more
This paper discusses various meanings of the word “peace” and its equivalents in a variety of languages. It argues that “peace” has developed as the marked alternative to “war”. It investigates the consequences of this use of language and suggests actions that linguists might take to reduce the… read more