http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/language/ Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/you-stink-sorry-that-was-totally-taken-out-of-context/ Liberal MP Teresa Gambaro swung the full pendulum yesterday, after her ridicluous comments about teaching migrants to use deodorant were published in The Australian. At first, presumably before Tony Abbott’s office scrambled into damage control mode, Gambaro went on radio to expand on her theory better personal hygene would aid in assimilation. When it dawned on her the rest of the country was in a melt-down of piss-taking she pulled out the classic chestnut - “out of context”. She even put out a statement saying the story was inaccurate. Then when it became clear there was no context in which her comments, which included the line “Without trying to be offensive” could be taken well, she backed down and apologised. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/you-stink-sorry-that-was-totally-taken-out-of-context/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/you-stink-sorry-that-was-totally-taken-out-of-context/#item7508 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Like kitsch, schnauzer and – to a lesser extent – gemütlichkeit*, schadenfreude is one of those excitingly guttural expressions that has hitchhiked its way from Germany into English-speaking countries such as Australia. The loanword is a combination of Schaden (harm) and freude (joy), and describes pleasure taken in other people’s misfortunes. It’s a phenomenon which can be observed with increasing frequency on internet sites such as failblog.org which revels in human error, embarrassment and outright idiocy. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/laughing-at-misfortune-of-others-a-big-moral-dilemma/ Like kitsch, schnauzer and – to a lesser extent – gemütlichkeit*, schadenfreude is one of those excitingly guttural expressions that has hitchhiked its way from Germany into English-speaking countries such as Australia. The loanword is a combination of Schaden (harm) and freude (joy), and describes pleasure taken in other people’s misfortunes. It’s a phenomenon which can be observed with increasing frequency on internet sites such as failblog.org which revels in human error, embarrassment and outright idiocy. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/laughing-at-misfortune-of-others-a-big-moral-dilemma/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/laughing-at-misfortune-of-others-a-big-moral-dilemma/#item6725 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Like kitsch, schnauzer and – to a lesser extent – gemütlichkeit*, schadenfreude is one of those excitingly guttural expressions that has hitchhiked its way from Germany into English-speaking countries such as Australia. The loanword is a combination of Schaden (harm) and freude (joy), and describes pleasure taken in other people’s misfortunes. It’s a phenomenon which can be observed with increasing frequency on internet sites such as failblog.org which revels in human error, embarrassment and outright idiocy. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/advance-australia-fair-anangula-a-tjutala/ Yesterday I was reminded of one of the most amazing and moving moments I have ever experienced. It was in 2006 and I was listening to the national anthems being sung at the Lone Pine memorial service on Anzac day. Surprisingly, what moved me was not the roar of over 10,000 Australians singing our own national anthem, but hearing the thousands of Kiwi pilgrims belting out theirs. I wasn’t moved at the thought of God defending our mates over the ditch (as the anthem goes), rather it was the first ever time I had heard New Zealanders sing the first Maori verse of their anthem, and it was sung with such gusto and pride. I was astonished not only that they had been taught the Maori words, but that they were proud enough to sing it so loudly and passionately.  I was jealous of their historic and cultural pride that day. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/advance-australia-fair-anangula-a-tjutala/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/advance-australia-fair-anangula-a-tjutala/#item6243 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Like kitsch, schnauzer and – to a lesser extent – gemütlichkeit*, schadenfreude is one of those excitingly guttural expressions that has hitchhiked its way from Germany into English-speaking countries such as Australia. The loanword is a combination of Schaden (harm) and freude (joy), and describes pleasure taken in other people’s misfortunes. It’s a phenomenon which can be observed with increasing frequency on internet sites such as failblog.org which revels in human error, embarrassment and outright idiocy. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Moving-forward-let-me-say-this-about-working-families/ Australia is one of the most multi-ethnic societies on earth. As a result, we are living in a kaleidoscope of different cultures and different languages. Among these is one which has always been around. Ever since democratic politics emerged, and expanding rapidly in recent years, politicians have developed a distinctive language of their own: pollie-speak. This is especially evident among Ministers, but all politicians have learnt to use it. It is an unusual language. Other languages have developed as a means for people to communicate with each other, with reasonable clarity. Pollie-speak, however, seems to be designed not to communicate but to obfuscate: to make communication unclear, unintelligible, or bewildering. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Moving-forward-let-me-say-this-about-working-families/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Moving-forward-let-me-say-this-about-working-families/#item6231 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Like kitsch, schnauzer and – to a lesser extent – gemütlichkeit*, schadenfreude is one of those excitingly guttural expressions that has hitchhiked its way from Germany into English-speaking countries such as Australia. The loanword is a combination of Schaden (harm) and freude (joy), and describes pleasure taken in other people’s misfortunes. It’s a phenomenon which can be observed with increasing frequency on internet sites such as failblog.org which revels in human error, embarrassment and outright idiocy. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/avoid-this-cliche-ridden-column-like-the-plague/ One day, I will tell my four-year-old son that “there’s no place like home” and he will think I’m a genius. The rest of you, however, will feel a sudden and overwhelming urge to pummel me in the face with a box of Hallmark cards and smugly present me with a “get well soon” card from the same batch. But why are we taught to avoid clichés like the plague? What’s wrong with using the odd well-worn phrase? feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/avoid-this-cliche-ridden-column-like-the-plague/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/avoid-this-cliche-ridden-column-like-the-plague/#item5818 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Like kitsch, schnauzer and – to a lesser extent – gemütlichkeit*, schadenfreude is one of those excitingly guttural expressions that has hitchhiked its way from Germany into English-speaking countries such as Australia. The loanword is a combination of Schaden (harm) and freude (joy), and describes pleasure taken in other people’s misfortunes. It’s a phenomenon which can be observed with increasing frequency on internet sites such as failblog.org which revels in human error, embarrassment and outright idiocy. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/quit-leveraging-your-dialouge/ “OK before we get going, I’d like to unpack some issues. What I want from you is blue sky thinking, people. A brain dump. Try to wrap your minds around our mission-critical objectives. We’re creating a new design language. There are some terrific synergies right now. This is a unique opportunity to value-add for our stakeholders. Think of it as a paradigm shift. Your time starts now.” Is it just me or is there an awful lot of corporate speak around at the moment? It’s worse than two years ago, when Don Watson wrote his third anti-jargon book, Bendable Learnings. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/quit-leveraging-your-dialouge/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/quit-leveraging-your-dialouge/#item5455 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Like kitsch, schnauzer and – to a lesser extent – gemütlichkeit*, schadenfreude is one of those excitingly guttural expressions that has hitchhiked its way from Germany into English-speaking countries such as Australia. The loanword is a combination of Schaden (harm) and freude (joy), and describes pleasure taken in other people’s misfortunes. It’s a phenomenon which can be observed with increasing frequency on internet sites such as failblog.org which revels in human error, embarrassment and outright idiocy. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/cactus-or-crackerjack-the-state-of-australian-english/ What kind of shape is Australian English in? Is it in top nick, crackerjack, tickety-boo, both beaut and bonza? Or is it showing signs of being cactus, knackered, buggered, stuffed, rooted, possibly even up shit creek, as it succumbs to the continuously rising tide of social media slang, management jargon and Americanisms? It augurs well for the idiom that anyone who has lived in Orstraya for more than six months would have understood every word in the above three sentences. But at a time when footy coaches urge their stars to be more accountable, when kids are busy LOL-ing and ROTFLMFAO-ing on Facebook, or declaring on Twitter that the latest Hollywood blockbuster is an “epic fail”, when every seven-year-old girl with a Singstar would rather sound like Miley Cyrus than Missy Higgins, pessimists could be forgiven for thinking that Australian English is in more trouble than the early settlers. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/cactus-or-crackerjack-the-state-of-australian-english/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/cactus-or-crackerjack-the-state-of-australian-english/#item4931 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Like kitsch, schnauzer and – to a lesser extent – gemütlichkeit*, schadenfreude is one of those excitingly guttural expressions that has hitchhiked its way from Germany into English-speaking countries such as Australia. The loanword is a combination of Schaden (harm) and freude (joy), and describes pleasure taken in other people’s misfortunes. It’s a phenomenon which can be observed with increasing frequency on internet sites such as failblog.org which revels in human error, embarrassment and outright idiocy. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/moon-unit-tell-apple-to-leave-peaches-alone/ So Miranda Kerr & Orlando Bloom have named their first born Flynn. Flynn? A normal name and spelt correctly? I must admit I breathed a sigh of relief for the genetically blessed cherub. With two world-famous parents I was expecting baby Bloom to be saddled with a weird, made-up name that would haunt him for the rest of his days. Something like Apple, Dweezil or Heavenly Hirrani Tiger Lily. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/moon-unit-tell-apple-to-leave-peaches-alone/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/moon-unit-tell-apple-to-leave-peaches-alone/#item4937 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Like kitsch, schnauzer and – to a lesser extent – gemütlichkeit*, schadenfreude is one of those excitingly guttural expressions that has hitchhiked its way from Germany into English-speaking countries such as Australia. The loanword is a combination of Schaden (harm) and freude (joy), and describes pleasure taken in other people’s misfortunes. It’s a phenomenon which can be observed with increasing frequency on internet sites such as failblog.org which revels in human error, embarrassment and outright idiocy. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/lost-words-the-death-of-meaning-in-language/ Recently, much has been said about the death of the book. Perhaps more accurate though, is the death of words themselves. Not that this is anything new. Oscar Wilde lamented Victorian England’s loss of meaning through an obsession with politeness, appearances and crustless sandwiches. However, the difference now is that the meaning of words is decomposing because people use inappropriate synonyms to feel better about their insufficient vocabulary. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/lost-words-the-death-of-meaning-in-language/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/lost-words-the-death-of-meaning-in-language/#item4761 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Like kitsch, schnauzer and – to a lesser extent – gemütlichkeit*, schadenfreude is one of those excitingly guttural expressions that has hitchhiked its way from Germany into English-speaking countries such as Australia. The loanword is a combination of Schaden (harm) and freude (joy), and describes pleasure taken in other people’s misfortunes. It’s a phenomenon which can be observed with increasing frequency on internet sites such as failblog.org which revels in human error, embarrassment and outright idiocy. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/long-live-the-dictionary/ Next time you update your Facebook status or send off an email without checking for spelling errors, think of the children and pick up a hard cover dictionary. A recent study by the University of Manchester has found that thanks to our predilection for communicating online, we’re raising an entire generation of bad spellers: “The increasing use of variant spellings on the internet has been brought about by people typing at speed in chatrooms and on social networking sites where the general attitude is that there isn’t a need to correct typos or conform to spelling rules, “ said Lucy Jones, the author of the study. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/long-live-the-dictionary/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/long-live-the-dictionary/#item4539 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Like kitsch, schnauzer and – to a lesser extent – gemütlichkeit*, schadenfreude is one of those excitingly guttural expressions that has hitchhiked its way from Germany into English-speaking countries such as Australia. The loanword is a combination of Schaden (harm) and freude (joy), and describes pleasure taken in other people’s misfortunes. It’s a phenomenon which can be observed with increasing frequency on internet sites such as failblog.org which revels in human error, embarrassment and outright idiocy.