Australian Language & Culture (Language Reference) (Paperback)

by Paul Smitz (Author), Barry Blake (Author)
Key Phrases: full speakers, traditional owners, land council, New South Wales, Australian English, South Australia (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
...for the adventurous traveler who wants to live like a native.' --Real Simple Magazine, June 2005


Product Description
Toss another shrimp on the barbie, crack open a tinny or pour yourself a chardy while you traverse Australia's vast expanse of true blue, fair dinkum Aussie lingo - from cosmopolitan communique to surf slang, outback jargon and some of the world's oldest indigenous languages. C'mon avagoyermug!

Features comprehensive section on Australia's impressive array of indigenous languages.

Lonely Planet's English Language & Culture series goes behind the scenes of languages you thought you knew. Get into the culture and humour behind common - and not so common - English expressions and learn about the local languages that inspired them.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet; 3 Blg edition (March 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1740590996
• ISBN-13: 978-1740590990
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 3.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #104,866 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #26 in	Books > History > Australia & Oceania > Australia
  #62 in	Books > Travel > Australia & South Pacific
  #78 in	Books > Travel > Guidebook Series > Lonely Planet

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but not great!!, June 1, 2008

By	Vincent Dalton "Vindal" (Adelaide, Australia) - See all my reviews

This is an interesting book for someone who has not been to Australia. Although there are variations between Aussie English and Standard Australian English, visitors will mostly encounter SAE. "Aussie" English is used in informal settings and is useful to know - but it is not as common as this book would suggest. The Australian accent may be difficult for some visitors and the use of works describing local peculiarities (beer's, local areas, etc) may seem strange at first. The section on Aboriginal languages is extremely good and gives an accurate introduction to this unique field. However, again be aware that the majority of Australians have no knowledge of Aboriginal languages and very few white Australians actually speak an Aboriginal language. The Anangu languages of the central Australian Outback are spoken by people living in communities in areas that require a permit to visit. You will hear these languages in communities that are attached to visitor centers or by Aboriginal guides to these areas. But do not assume that because book devotes half its content to Aboriginal languages that you will hear these in every day speech. Overall a good introduction to Australian "culture" and speech, but too much emphasize for a book of this kind on Aboriginal languages.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Speaking "Aussie", September 7, 2007

By	Chrisitan H. Gunther - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a lot of fun! Our Australian friends really do talk like this.