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Australians win medals at the Linguistics Olympiad
Fully (sic)Aug 15, 2016
While our athletes are in Rio, Australian high-school students have come back from Mysore (India) with gold and silver medals from the International Linguistics Olympiad! Hedvig Skirgård and Dominique Estival report.
LOTEs in the Election: your guide to linguistically-talented candidates (2016 edition)
Allie SeverinJul 1, 2016
It's election time again! But where have all the LOTE-speaking candidates gone? And why are they hiding? Allie Severin takes a look at the linguistic talents of this year's candidates for the Federal Election.
How to solve Australia’s language learning crisis
Fully (sic)Jun 15, 2016
With the "moribund" state of language learning in Australia in the spotlight, Ingrid Piller busts some myths, arguing that it does not have to be this way and that something can be done about it.
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Testing the critical literacy of voters, educators and...politicians?
Elisabeth GriffithsMay 27, 2016
While the Minister for Immigration and "Border Protection" has been scrutinising refugees' literacy and numeracy, the Australian Government has had its sight set on another group's abilities: Australia's pre-service teachers. Elisabeth Griffiths asks if the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Students is worth its salt.
How to be a Shady Fish: Speaking like a Queen on RuPaul’s Drag Race
Fully (sic)Apr 13, 2016
Do we ever sound like our authentic selves? Or is the way we talk always dependent on who we are talking to? Guest blogger Cass Bleechmore looks at the way the contestants of RuPaul's Drag Race communicate and create a shared identity. Despite using a distinctive lexicon, drag queens are just doing what we all do: using language to construct group identity.
Five use a mysterious preposition
Fully (sic)Mar 30, 20161 Comment
Lurking in the seemingly innocuous pages of a classic children’s story is the perplexing use of an extraneous preposition. What’s it doing there? And what can it tell us about how language changes? Richard Ingold investigates.
"I am determined to be tenacious in relation to the use of my language": Bess Price and breaking the English hegemony in NT Parliament
wamutFeb 18, 201611 Comments
Aboriginal Northern Territory MP Bess Price is fighting to be able to use her first language, Warlpiri, in parliament. She argues that it's only fair given it's her first language and the language of half her constituency. The Parliament's Speaker continues to affirm that English is the language of the Assembly. Greg Dickson explores the debate further:
From 'Captain's call' to 'refugiado': WOTY 2015
Allie SeverinJan 25, 20164 Comments
It's that time of year again. Linguists and wordsmiths the world over have come together to decree which word(s) should be given the top honour and crowned 'Word of the Year 2015'. Not everybody decides on the same one though, so here at Fully Sic we've collated a list for all your word-loving needs.
So where did the Aussie accent really come from?
Fully (sic)Dec 21, 20159 Comments
There are many folktales and controversies about the origins of Australian speech. But what does history really tell us about the Aussie accent’s development? Have people’s views of it changed? And where is it headed? Richard Ingold takes us through the basics of Australian English.
From milk bars and potato cakes to delis and fritters: a taste of Australian English regionalisms
Fully (sic)Dec 14, 20152 Comments
In Australia, we sometimes have multiple words for the same thing. Sydney Kingstone reports on her current research into who says what where.