AUSTRALIA - ADELAIDE

With Adelaide, Australia being my exchange destination, I didn’t have a very hard time coping with the language. The main language that is spoken in Australia is English; a language I have spoken all my life. Due to this, it was quite easy for me to settle into this new environment, despite it being almost as far away as terrestrially possible from Liechtenstein.

There are a few points that I would like to raise about the distinctions between the common British/American English and the Australian branch of English.

The primary difference is the accent. Australians have a very thick accent, which presumably developed from the diversity of accents from the early settlers. This distinct accent has become somewhat of a calling sign of the Australian people and a cornerstone of their culture. Along with the accent, there are also a variety of slang terms that accompany the Australian linguistic mannerisms. Phrases such as “Bloody oath mate, calling into the servo on the way to the bottlo to crack some bevos” (Translation: “Ah Man, I went to the Liquor Store because I wanted to have a Drink and stopped at the Service Station on the way”) are commonplace here and require you to be a bit of a cultural veteran to be able to fluently understand them.

It was with this that I appeared to have the biggest difficulty in terms of understanding. To cope with this, I inferred a meaning to these phrases using context, mood and body movements. Following these guidelines, I have been quite successful so far and due to my multi-cultural upbringing at International Schools and Boarding School in England, It was quite easy for me to befriend the locals.

Another key component of the Australian viewpoint on language is their stance on curse words. Australians love swearwords. Not necessarily to insult each other, but as an intrinsic tool to emphasise what is said. I will not name any specific examples of these, as the discovery of these fantastically unique colloquialisms is an important part of the exploration of Australia. Luckily, I have not fully adapted to use these words, so that my return to my home university doesn’t result in a shock from the perspective of my tutors.

Although English is the main language that is spoken in Australia and although there are dozens of languages spoken by the immigrants of the lands, there are 167 native languages spoken by Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islanders. These language systems precede our modern languages and create a beautiful diversity in the context of the usually English based culture of the country. The contact with these languages occurs on a regular basis on the streets of Adelaide where altercations between Aboriginals of the Kaurna Tribe are not exactly uncommon. Some Words for things in the Kaurna Language are easily learnt after a brief stroll through central Adelaide. Monuments such as the Kaurna Learning Circle teach include like “Karrawirra Pari” (Translation: River Torrens), which refers the local river that has been a source of life for the local Kaurna people for millennia.

Overall, I believe that when I return to Liechtenstein, I will bring along with me, some incredibly rich cultural experiences and a matured understanding of Australia. As German is the predominant spoken language in Liechtenstein, I will probably not introduce the range of English Australian slang terms (nor the cursewords) I have learnt to the the small alpine nation. I am very lucky to have been able to experience all of these different collective impulses over the past few months and I eagerly look forward to what is to come!