Australians Teach English

Diana Paez, a documentary filmmaker from Colombia, discusses her journey to Australia, where she studied filmmaking at Deakin University. She highlights her passion for docos and human stories, particularly around identity and migration. Diana's recent work, "Nuestras Voces," explores the lives of Spanish-speaking migrants in Australia from the 1960s to 1980s.

Diana emphasizes the importance of embracing accents and using them as a strength. She is currently working on a new doco focusing on migrant women and their experiences with accents.

We talk about how docos can be an extremely useful tool in learning language through being exposed to comprehensible input.

Ella Sabljak is a two-time Paralympian, rose gold medal winner, educator, and proud representative of the green and gold amongst many other things. I invited her on the show to discuss her journey in wheelchair sports and to talk about her work to promote inclusivity in schools.

Ella shares her experience transitioning from wheelchair basketball to wheelchair rugby, highlighting her bronze medal win at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. She explains the unique aspects of wheelchair rugby, including its classification system and the bonus points for female players. Ella also discusses her role in promoting disability awareness and inclusion through education and her involvement with the World Anti-Doping Agency.

We also talk about how the "Green and Gold" came to be our national colours and what wearing these colours means to Ella.

In this podcast I talk to Margo who is an expert at organising "dos". We talk about everything you need to know about the language for talking about and describing events in Australia.

Margo shares her story about how she came to be living in Australia, and specifically Adelaide, and her project in organising dos.

She offers great advice for people wanting to stay in Australia and pursuing the permanent residency pathway.

We also talk about how the word "do" can be used, and why it is so tricky for English learners. We offer some tips and tricks about how English learners can sound more natural by using the word do more regularly.

You can find Margo and her project at @mambo.adelaide and @scrts.au

One of my close mates and beer connoisseur, Ben, is a fellow Bestern Australian. He is also a product of the wheatbelt, so I thought it was about time he came on the show to talk about his people's shame in losing the "Emu Wars" to the mighty bush chooks.

Ben and I discuss the term "Bush Chook," which refers to an emu and the beer "Emu Export." We also explore the beer's history, its reputation, and its association with Western Australia. Ben and I also delve into the cultural and historical context of emus in the wheat belt, including the military's unsuccessful attempt to control them in the infamous "Emu Wars".

We talk about our experience with eating different bush foods and bush tucker, including bush chooks.

The conversation shifts to language learning, with Ben sharing his struggles to learn Estonian, his wife's language. We touch on the challenges of learning languages with unique sounds and the importance of cultural pride in preserving languages. The episode concludes with a light-hearted discussion about Australian slang and beer preferences.

I had been following this galah for quite a while, due to our mutual love of Australian birds, and in particular, cockatoos. But it wasn't until I saw this galah making videos of crochet Olympic events that I knew what I would invite her on the show to talk about.

In this epsiode, Adele, known as cro with the flow on social media, shares her passion for crochet and Australian birds, emphasising the uniqueness of Australian wildlife. We talk about the term "galah," which in Australia is used to describe someone acting foolishly, and Adele clarifies that she embraces the term positively.

Adele explains her journey into crochet, starting from a corporate background in human resources, and how she developed her business.

We also talk about the differences between crochet and knitting and the process of creating crochet patterns and how it relates to language learning.

The etymology of the word crochet is discussed and how it relates to other terms in English. We also talk about how embracing your inner galah can help you learn language, and just about anything, really!

I see a lot of people who come to Australia and join groups, that seem to me, a little suss. So, I invited an expert on the show, someone who knows all about suss groups in Australia - Sarah Steel.

Sarah Steel is the host of the "Let's Talk About Sects" podcast, where she does a deep dive into suss groups, cults and sects.

We also discuss common tactics employed by suspicious groups to isolate and control members, and the power and corrupting influence of religious groups in Australian politics.

We talk about language usage related to cults and how manipulative behaviour can be present in any teacher-student relationship.

Finally, we emphasise the importance of questioning language and behavior in religious and secular contexts to promote critical thinking and avoid manipulation.

I reckon it's always time for a cuppa - a nice warm drink and a bit of a chinwag. So, I invited my friend Lucas, from Materoo, on the show for a cuppa and a bit of a chat.

 In this episode, we talk about the importance of drinking (non-alcoholic) culture in Australia and different places around the world. We talk about the cultural significance of tea, coffee and mate drinking in Australia and Argentina, respectively, as well as the niche market for Argentinean drinks in Australia. Lucas shares his experiences of introducing a mate related small business to Australia.

We also discuss the cultural etiquette and traditions related to drinking mate in Argentina and Australia, and explore the idiomatic expression 'cuppa' in English, examining its cultural significance and challenges of explaining and learning it. We highlight the opportunities for cultural exchange and entrepreneurship and the possibilities of using a cuppa as a way to improve your language skills.

Dependent propositions are also a difficult topic and we explain the use of "of" in this expression as well, which forms the "a" pronounciation in this expression.

So, get yourself a cuppa, and enoy the listen!

Nearly 30 years ago, The Simpsons arrived in Australia, causing a bloody outrage. We were offended at how they portrayed our culture, but more importantly, how badly they tried to create Australian accents. As time has gone on, the Bart v Australia episode has become a source of national pride, especially amongst Simpsons fans in Australia.

To talk about this phenomenon, I invited one of my favourite Australian linguists and co-host of Lingthusiasm, on the show, Lauren Gawne.

Lauren and I discuss the portrayal of Australian accents in media, highlighting inaccuracies in The Simpsons and noting the informality and lack of respect for authority in Australian English. We talk about things that The Simpsons actually did get right and how this is part of how Australian English is viewed outside of Australia.

We also discuss cross-cultural politeness in language and how tolerance for profanity (for example "bloody") can be a hurdle for learners of Australian English and for Australians when learning other languages. I emphasize the importance of understanding intersections between linguistics and other areas of study, while Lauren stresses the value of intrinsic motivation in language learning.

There's all that and more and it's a bloody outrage I can't write it all here!

If there is one band from Australia that you'll recognise, it's Acca Dacca. But you might not know that Acca Dacca is what we say instead of AC/DC.

So, I invited Johnny from rocklatino.com.au on the show to talk about this phenomenon and rock music in general.

Johnny and I discuss the global popularity of AC/DC and its local significance in Australian rock music. I share my experience of discovering that people overseas associate AC/DC with Australian music more than Australians do themselves, while Johnny shared his passion for the band and their resonance with Argentinian rock enthusiasts. Later, Johny and I discuss our favourite Australian bands, with Glen recommending Midnight Oil, The Saints, and Crowded House, while Johnny recommending Powderfinger to help listeners engage more with language learning and Australian rock music.

We also discuss our experiences with language barriers in Australia and how music can help people to learn about and navigate their new environment. Finally, we explore the similarities and differences between Australian and Argentinian rock music, highlighting historical context, political influences, and the growing interest in Latin rock music in Australia.

In the second episode of this two part series, Liz Tynan and I discuss the controversies surrounding nuclear testing in Australia in the 1950s and 1960s, that still linger today. We also talk about the importance of media scrutiny and how that played a role in uncovering the disaster.

We also talk about the growing movement and need for Australia to break free from its colonial past as a result.

Liz works at James Cook University in Townsville, and helps students and academic improve their academic writing. We talk about the difficulties for english learners, and students in general, in writing, and give our best tips for how to improve your writing skills.