AustLit

'Australia’s war in Afghanistan has led to the production of a number of military memoirs, published commercially and reaching a diverse readership. These memoirs shape public understandings of the experience of the war and how it was fought. This article analyses a selection of these military memoirs, focusing on how soldier-authors frame their reasons for joining the military and for being deployed to war. The article pays attention to descriptions of combat, mateship, and the enemy, and to the ways in which these books convey the costs of war.' (Publication abstract) 

'In this week’s ABR podcast, Amanda Laugesen asks what the word ‘bogan’ says about Australian culture and society. Laugesen, who is Chief Editor of The Australian National Dictionary, explains the history of the word and its derivatives, including boganity. Listen to Amanda Laugesen’s reading ‘On Boganism’, which appears in the November 2022 issue of ABR.' (Production summary)

'In 1999, John Howard attempted to insert the word “mateship” into the Constitution, arguing that it had been reimagined as an inclusive national ideal. This article looks at the history and meaning of mateship, followed by a discussion of contemporary Australian attitudes towards it. The data we use in this article is from a voluntary survey (the Australian Mateship Survey) conducted by the authors, which asked respondents (N = 576) how they define mateship and how they feel about the term. The results indicate that a majority think mateship is a key feature of Australian identity but have concerns when the idea is politicised. A sizable minority believe the term is gendered and racialised and, therefore, is not inclusive of all Australians. Further, the survey suggests that a wide range of opinions exists even among those who do believe mateship has national significance. Twenty years after Howard’s attempt to enshrine mateship in the Constitution, this article suggests that the concept remains too divisive to serve as a core Australian value.' (Publication abstract)

'Modern warfare produces both trauma and boredom in equal measure. During the first world war, one way troops found solace was by writing and reading magazines created by soldiers, for soldiers.' (Introduction)

'Amanda Laugesen, historian and lexicographer, is director of the Australian National Dictionary Centre at the ANU. In her latest book, the evocatively titled Rooted, Amanda considers the bountiful history of bad language in Australia. Her column in the December issue of ABR is devoted to the quaint old euphemism. Amanda talks about the inventive ways in which writers and editors have tried to placate the censor while also celebrating profanity. ' (Production summary)

'Bugger, rooted, bloody oath… 

'What is it about Australians and swearing? We've got an international reputation for using bad language and letting rip with a choice swear word or two. From the defiant curses of the convicts to the humour of Kath & Kim, Amanda Laugesen, Chief Editor of the Australian National Dictionary, takes us on an engrossing journey through the tumultuous history of Australia's bad language.

'Bad language has been used in all sort of ways in our history: to defy authority, as a form of liberation and subversion, and as a source of humour and creativity. It has also been used to oppress and punish, notably Indigenous Australians and women. Revealing the fundamental tensions, conflicts, preoccupations and anxieties that have shaped our past and continue to shape our present, the story of bad language is a story about what it means to be Australian.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'The Covid-19 pandemic has affected all our lives, and little else has featured in the media for weeks. Unsurprisingly, this has led those of us who work with words to track the language of the pandemic (coronaspeak) closely. Here at the Australian National Dictionary Centre (temporarily WFH, of course), we have been compiling a database of the words emerging from the pandemic; from anti-lockdown protest to zumping (being dumped via Zoom), the Covid-19 isolation lockdown has generated its own vocabulary.' (Introduction)

'Australian literary writing of the First World War remains largely unappreciated in the Australian cultural landscape. While there has been some scholarly consideration of this literature, notably by Robin Gerster and more recently by Christina Spittel, much remains to be said about those who have used fiction to say something about the experience of the First World War. Clare Rhoden's book, based on her PhD thesis, is a valuable contribution to this study. She argues that Australian readers have preferred overseas literary accounts of the war to those written by Australians, and by turning the spotlight on these narratives, Rhoden hopes to increase our appreciation and understanding of them.'

'This book illuminates Australian soldiers' voices, feelings and thoughts, through exploration of the words and language used during the Great War. It is mostly concerned with slang, but there were also new words that came into Standard English during the war with which Australians became familiar. The book defines and explains these words and terms, provides examples of their usage by Australian soldiers and on the home front that provides insight into the experiences and attitudes of soldiers and civilians, and it draws out some of the themes and features of this language to provide insight into the social and cultural worlds of Australian soldiers and civilians.' (Source: TROVE)