EP 61 Billabong

Australians Teach English

We're back after a short break away. And while we were away we were able to continue to make language connections. This time, in the north of Argentina in one of the largest wetlands in the world. When you hear the word, "billabong", you're likely to think of the brand of clothing. But it has a very specific meaning in Australian English. It is a word that comes from an indigenous language in Australia relating to water. I was especially interested in how indigenous languages often share characteristics and emphasis depending on their physical surroundings. In Guarani, the indigenous language spoken in Paraguay, Southern Brazil and North-Eastern Argentina, water is central to the culture. And so, they have a much richer vocabulary for wetlands and watercourses than the dominant languages of the area. We speak about how languages can help us understand culture, how language in Australia shares connections with languages in other areas of the world, and what value there is in understanding and learning indigenous languages. If you've learnt any words specific to an area, a local culture or an indigenous language that you use, we'd love to hear some more examples.