It's Time to Say Goodbye..for a While.

The semester is slowly coming to an end, but does not necessarily mean the end of this blog..As I am a big Australia fan, if anything interesting or worthwhile to write about comes my way, I will be sure to share it with you. I hope the posts have been enjoyable, although I know more video postings would have been somewhat more exciting.To finish, have a listen to Australia's National Anthem, Advance Australia Fair. Have a G’day and stay tuned!

Culture...Down Under

Australian culture is one of the richest in the world. Before white settlers arrived (preceding the landing of James Cook and his fleet on the shores of Australia) the continent was home to the Aborigines. Their culture and way of life still exists today and has influenced the lives of all those living there, albeit they look back at a bloody and unfair past. Australia is mostly made up of a nation of immigrants. Irish, Italians, Japanese and Hungarians are just a few of the blood ties that can be found amongst the inhabitants. This also influenced the shaping of the country’s culture and their famous laid-back and varied way of life. Although it started off Anglo-Celtic, over time Australia has become more Americanized, in keeping with the change of times. Many varieties of music and literature can be found, all contributing to the rich culture the land boasts today. I personally have met quite a few Australians and as I recall, not one of them was ‘pure’ Oz. Some were Hungarian, some Croatian, Italian. In the 21^st century though, what more could a person ask for then growing up in such a vibrant and exciting place? I would not be one to say no.

Cheers!

"They are not a nation of snobs like the English or of extravagant boasters like the Americans or of reckless profligates like the French, they are simply a nation of drunkards." Marcus Clark (1)

It may be a stereotype, it may not be true of all of them, but it is treated as fact: Australians love their drink. As do many other nations, without doubt. But the Aussies are notorious for their beer-drinking feats. They have etiquette for drinking; the rules of a “shout” are to be taken seriously. If you have been shouted (bought) a drink by someone it is your obligation to return the favor. Whether it’s for two people or twenty. There was a time during the convict era when rum was the currency. But let’s not jump to conclusions, a lot has changed. Or has it? Or has the rest of the world just started drinking amounts that now level with those of Australians’ and seem natural. Alcohol related problems exist world-wide, people down under shouldn’t be falsely accused of being “a nation of drunkards”( Marcus Clark). Ex-prime minister Bob Hawke was known for earning his place in the Guinness Book of Records for drinking 2.5 pints of beer in 11 seconds. Which may make him cool, but could raise eyebrows today. All in all, it is surely risky to state that Australians have a tendency to binge on the booze on a regular basis, in my opinion Hungarians are not necessarily the nation I would look up to in this department.

Australian English? It's Bonzer!

An Australian's "greatest talent is for idiomatic invention. It is a manifestation of our vitality and restless imagination".

Baker S 1983, A Dictionary of Australian Slang, 3rd Edition , Currey O'Neil, Melbourne (1st published 1959)

My favorite English has to be, by far, the Australian English accent. I think it’s one of the reasons I saw Crocodile Dundee about 468 times. Australia has three different accents only. Most Australians (80%) speak what is known as general Australian English, the type Nicole Kidman speaks. The broad accent is spoken by about 10% of Australians, mainly newsreaders and those starring in commercials speak with this accent as well as ex-prime minister, Bob Hawke. The remaining 10% speak with a cultivated accent, said to be spoken by another ex-prime minister Malcolm Fraser. This latter accent is not too popular nowadays but used to be as popular as the broad accent is these days. There is also a difference between the sexes; men rarely speak with a cultivated accent, while women don’t often speak with a broad accent. A peculiarity is that there is not much regional difference between accents, despite the huge distances in Australia. It is also interesting that formalities are different compared to other English-speaking countries. For example, a boss at a firm is much more likely to call their workers by their first name rather than Mr. /Miss/Mrs. XY. This may suggest an ease that the Australians have, or it may just be a difference in culture. Either way, most people will agree that Oz English has a greater laid-back feeling to it than either British or American English. Or it may have to do with the influence of smooth vowels from Aboriginal words which have always had a big influence on Australian English. Many Australian words are shortened, leading linguists to believe that this was done in order to smooth down the rough English edges of words and make them more similar to the pleasant sounding Aboriginal vocabulary. Whatever the case may be, the Aussie English is just bewdy!

For some real strine to yabber with, go to:

http://www.abc.net.au/civics/globalcitizens/ozstrine.htm

And You Thought the Tram was Crowded?

6,774,816,471. That was the population of the world when I checked circa three minutes ago. It has gone up already by who knows how much? By about one thousand, probably slightly more. An environment protection agency, Sustainable Population Australia, say the almost 22 million populated country should consider having a one-child policy as they do in China. The president of the group believes Australia’s population should be reduced to seven million inhabitants, but that restrictions on immigration are not necessary. Cuts on maternity benefits after the first child are also something that could reduce the number of births. The group is expecting a chill welcome to this idea. A Chinese official who visited Australia not long ago confirmed that 300 million births have been avoided in China since its introduction in 1979. Although that is food for thought, it must be taken into account that China has a population of 1.3 billion people on an area not even comparable in size to that of Australia. It is a question that could be debated till humanity is blue in the face, but maybe the most important question is this: in what other ways could the people on planet earth keep it alive? To read the article, go to:

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25366021-29277,00.html

Something Close to Home

Hello everybody, spring has finally arrived and I could not be more pleased. The smells, the lights, even the noisy kids next door are so much more pleasant. A good friend of mine asked me to translate interviews he had bought back home after his trip to Australia two months ago. He had been there to find out about the late Jackie Orszáczky, a famous Hungarian bass guitarist who spent much of his life down under. I thought it would be appropriate to pay a little tribute to this musician who some many loved, yet many don’t know about. Jackie passed on last February at the age of 60 and although not much was published about this in Hungary, many Australians mourned his death. He spent most of his time in Sydney where he gathered a loyal and admiring group of followers. He had many different bands and worked with a very popular singer of the time – Marcia Hines – as her musical director.Probably the most famous band he had in Oz was Jump Back Jack, while in Hungary the young generation were going crazy over Syrius. Jack also became an amazing piccolo bass player, a passion that set out as something fun, but then led to the initial steps of a new band – ODD. Syrius split in 1973, after the band became tired of traveling between Australia and Hungary. He continued to make, play and direct music in Australia. He played live in front of audiences varying from 3,000 to 30,000 people. He fought a long and difficult fight with cancer, and passed away on 3rd February of last year.

To find out more, check out his homepage: http://www.orszaczky.com/
Rest in Peace, Jackie.

yum yum!

Hello readers! Hope you are all enjoying a sunny weekend, with mouth-watering dishes on the family table. Talking of delicious aliments, did you know that aboriginal people relished kangaroo, lizard and event wallaby meat and loved to nibble on cooked snakes and moths? Stomach churning it may well be, but it is a list of some food types that native Australians used to live on before white settlers arrived. Of course nowadays kangaroo, wallaby, crocodile, and emu are all considered specialities and Australian seafood is a much sought-after export. The macadamia nut is a very native aussie crop. Bush tucker foods also remain mostly a novelty, food which was devoured mostly by aborigines and early settlers. For more information on what exactly bush tucker consists of, check out: http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/bushtucker/

Wish you all a great weekend, and lovely meals! Tuck in!