[RNLD List] Melbourne Linguistics in the Pub- Furphies, bulldust and the dinkum oil on Australian slang (in person)

[Ruth Singer]

Announcement: Melbourne Linguistics in the Pub

Linguistics in the Pub - Furphies, bulldust and the dinkum oil on Australian slang
Discussion led by: Kate Burridge, Izzy Burke, Dylan Hughes, Howard Manns and Simon Musgrave (Monash University)

Did you know that dinkum comes from Chinese gamblers assuring English-speakers they’d do fair drinking - meaning get just as drunk as other gamblers? Well, that’s a furphy. Do you think Australian slang is succumbing to Seppo speak? Well, clearly that’s bulldust, too.

Pubs are normally places where furphies start, but in this Linguistics in the Pub we plan to end a few about Australian slang, including the idea that it might be dying. We set out preliminary findings of our ARC Special Research Initiative (SRI) project on the history and evolution of Australian slang. We’re investigating how Australian slang has evolved over time, and the place it holds in the hearts of everyday Australians.

In doing so, we answer some important but under- or never-explored aspects of Australian slang, including:
- When did we start talking about Australian slang? Is it really a slang?
- Is Australian slang really dying, or is this slow news day chaff?
- What are some of the most common Australian slang words across generations?
- What do sheilas say about the gendered nature of Australian slang?
- Does Australia have a larger population of fuglies than the rest of the English-speaking world, or is there something peculiar happening with all our idiomatic expressions for unattractive people (e.g. face like a smashed crab, ugly as a hat full of assholes)?

Overall, this talk draws on fair dinkum empirical evidence to rubbish the codswallop people have been saying about Australian slang for years. Yet, we also show how important these furphies are to our beloved Australian slang.

We also show how the different linguistic perspectives of the research team come to bear on this project. For instance, our trusty PhD student - Dylan Hughes - claims not to use any of these bloody words. Will Dylan kill off Australian slang? You’ll have to come along to find out.

Details:
Date:      Wednesday 25th May 2022
Time:       6:00 - 8:00 pm
Venue:     Function room, Naughton’s Parkville Hotel
Address: 43 Royal Parade, Parkville VIC 3052
Phone:   (03) 9347 2255
http://parkvillehotel.com.au/  (menu available online)

To hear about the next Linguistics in the Pub - follow our new Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/Melbourne-Linguistics-in-the-Pub-108857668018691

LIP is a gathering of language activists and linguists in Melbourne coordinated by a committee: Ruth Singer (Melbourne Uni), Andrew Tanner (La Trobe Uni), Chloé Diskin-Holdaway (Melbourne Uni), Jonathon Lum (Melbourne Uni), Lauren Gawne (LaTrobe Uni), Jill Vaughan (Melbourne Uni), Giovanni Ma (Melbourne Uni), Kate Charlwood (Melbourne Uni), Nicola Bezbradica (Melbourne Uni) and Will Somers (Melbourne Uni).


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