australian cultural scripts: 'bloody' revisited, ann guballa and rachael roby, thursday...
TRANSCRIPT
‘Australian cultural scripts, bloody revisited’
Anna Wierzbicka
• Ann Guballa
• Rachael Roby
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
‘But round the push and in the bush
They’re not so strangely sensitive:Unmasked and bare it riots there,
The Great Australian Adjective’
• 1890’s, The Bulletin labelled ‘bloody’ the ‘great Australian adjective’ (Ludowyk, 2002)
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
‘Bloody’- the great Australian adjective
• Why is this word significant?
• Gives clues about changes and continuity in Australian culture, society, and speech, as well as attitudes and values (Wierzbicka, 2002)
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
Cognitive • ‘Pragmatics’- how speakers and
listeners interpret meanings in particular contexts (Goddard, 1998)
• Uses ‘cultural scripts’ to explore how meaning is applied to words, and situations they are used in
• Common expressions contain a ‘covert richness of meaning’ (Gadamer, 1976)
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
Cognitive ethnopragmatics
• Ways of speaking reflect society’s way of thinking
• Not a conscious action, but speech reflects ‘patterns of thought’ (Boas, 1911)
• ‘Culture-internal perspective’ (Goddard, 1998)
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Cultural Scripts• Built on ‘ethnography of speaking’,
which concerns the ‘situations and uses, the patterns and functions, of speaking as an activity in its own right’ (Hymes, 1959)
• Adds ‘ethnography of thinking’
• Constructed theoretical framework
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Cultural Scripts• ‘Local’ conventions of discourse
• Technique for ‘articulating cultural norms, values, and practices in terms which are clear, precise, and accessible to cultural insiders and to cultural outsiders alike’ (Goddard & Wierzbicka, 2004)
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Cultural Scripts- Discussion• Difference between cliches and
empirical evidence
• Australian words and expressions: it is bad to be a whinger/sook/dobber
• Understanding this depends on reader knowledge of Australian expressions
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‘Bloody’ in Australian discourse
• Characteristically Australian
• Linguistic hiccup? Or reflection of Australian attitudes and values?
• What meaning is applied to it?
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‘Bloody’ in Australian discourse
• Are dictionary definitions accurate?
• Oxford English Dictionary, ‘restricted to the mouths of the lowest classes’ (1989)
• Well known example- Australian tourism ad in 2001, Lara Bingle, ‘where the bloody hell are you?’, banned in the UK.
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Recent Example
• Barnaby Joyce labelled the approval given to foreign investors to acquire a stake in the nation's biggest cotton farm a ‘bloody disgrace’ (The Australian, 12th September 2012)
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Why ‘bloody’?• Since there are a whole range of
swear words used regularly, why is this one relevant?
• To build a synthesis, must first start with individual analysis.
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Adjective vs adverb
• Polysemic word- multiple meanings depending on context
• ‘Did you see that bloody try?’ OR ‘Did you see that bloody try? The bloody ref is blind!’
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“Bloody” Idiot
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca9Y4OpmfTM
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“Bloody” as a sign of truth and sincerity
• Traditional Australian culture value truth and sincerity
• Bloody can be used as an “intensive” to express truthfulness and sincere honesty
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“Bloody Good”
• “Bloody” can be employed in a positive manner
• Can add credibility to a positive viewpoint
• Can refrain a speaker from sounding excessively positive
• “She is bloody talented”
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“Bloody” and Cultural Scripts
• Bloody as a sign of belonging- When used by public, superior or respected figures it can portray a sense of equality and likeness with ordinary individuals
Eminem can bloody rhyme
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“Bloody” and Cultural Scripts
• Bloody as a token of defiance- Some people tend to think that to say “bloody” is bad, therefore the use of the word can be rebellious and defiant in nature
Cause I look bloody hot
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‘Bloody’ and Cultural Scripts
• Bloody and the cult of the active fighting spirit
- “bloody can reflect an active attitude and assertiveness- “You are a bloody disgrace VS “You are a disgrace
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‘Bloody’ and Cultural Scripts
• Often the sincerity of positive remarks are questionable
• The use of “bloody” counteracts this
Bloody Good rack
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‘Bloody’ and Cultural Scripts
• Sarcasm is clear, crude and directly addresses the respondent
• The combination of “bloody” with a positive adjective can portray sarcasm
• It expresses the bad feeling of a speaker but gives him a positive feeling in doing so
Ha bloody
ha
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‘Bloody’ is so bloody valuable
• It effectively expresses the speakers feelings
• Has a multitude of different meanings
• Provides insight into Australian culture, attitudes and values
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Forward Reading
• Hong (2008) references Wierzbicka - “Bloody” is a part of Australian Culture
• Integral to Australian Discourse
• Often ill received by other cultures
• “Bloody” is an everyday
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Backward Reading
• Kidman, A 1993, ‘How to do things with four-letter words: a study of the semantics of swearing in Australia’
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References• Boas, F 1911, Introduction, in Handbook of American Indian languages, Bureau of
American Indian Ethnology, vol1, pp5-83
• Goddard, C 1998, Semantic Analysis: A Practical Introduction, Oxford University Press Inc., New York
• Goddard, C & Wierzbicka, A 2004, ‘Cultural scripts: What are they and what are they good for?’, Intercultural Pragmatics, vol1, iss2, pp153-166
• Hong, M, 2008, ‘Bloody hell and (im)politeness in Australian English’, Griffith Working Papers in Pragmatics and Intercultural Communication, vol. 1, no.1, pp 33-39
• Kidman, A 1993, ‘How to do things with four-letter words: a study of the semantics of swearing in Australia’, accessed 18/9/12, http://www.gusworld.com.au/nrc/thesis/ch-1.htm#1.6
• Ludowyk, F 2002, ‘The Anatomy of Swearing’, accessed 14/9/12, http://andc.anu.edu.au/ozwords/April%202001/Swearing.html
• The Australian, 2012,
• Wierzbicka, A 2002, ‘Australian cultural scripts- bloody revisited’, Journal of Pragmatics, v34, pp1167-1209
Wednesday, 19 September 2012