Australian cultural scripts: 'bloody' revisited, Ann Guballa and Rachael Roby, Thursday...

‘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)

‘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)

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)

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)

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

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)

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

‘Bloody’ in Australian discourse

• Characteristically Australian

• Linguistic hiccup? Or reflection of Australian attitudes and values?

• What meaning is applied to it?

‘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.

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)

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.

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!’

“Bloody” Idiot

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca9Y4OpmfTM

“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

“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”

“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

“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

‘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

• Often the sincerity of positive remarks are questionable

• The use of “bloody” counteracts this

Bloody Good rack

• 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

‘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

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

Backward Reading

• Kidman, A 1993, ‘How to do things with four-letter words: a study of the semantics of swearing in Australia’

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

Australian cultural scripts: 'bloody' revisited, Ann Guballa and Rachael Roby, Thursday...

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