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Today's quote:
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Waltjim Bat Matilda
Which language, only found in Australia, is spoken over an area the size of Spain and is the second most common language in the Northern Territory?
The correct answer – Kriol – is not a traditional Indigenous language, but refers to the creole language spoken across swathes of northern Australia. No one really knows how many people speak it, but the 2011 census figure of 4,000 is certainly an under-representation. Linguists put the number of Kriol speakers closer to 20,000, knowing that census data struggles to accurately capture high levels of multilingualism in remote Aboriginal communities.
Whatever you may think of it, it gives "Waltzing Matilda" a real shot in the arm. Why not make it our national anthem? We'd have people dancing rather than marching in the streets! Here are the lyrics:
WALTJIM BAT MATILDA
one balla carrdia bin cum up langa billabong
im bin chid on a groun langa coolibah tree
im bin chingum but corobree watchim but him billy boil
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me
waltjim bat matilda, waltjim bat matilda,
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me
im bin chingum but corobree watchim but him billy boil
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me
bum bye datun maaa bin cum up langa billabong
carrdia bin gatchim wholly maaa ngee ngee
im bin put im dtun maaa inchide langa ducker bag
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me
waltjim bat matilda, waltjim bat matilda,
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me
im bin put im dtun maaa inchide langa ducker bag
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me
bum bye datun marrdagee bin cum up langa dimina
pleetjaman bin cum up one, two, three
where datun maaa you bin putim langa ducker bag
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me
waltjim bat matilda, waltjim bat matilda,
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me
where datun maaa you bin putim langa ducker bag
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me
bum bye datun carrdia bin jump in langa billabong
you gan gatchim me libe one ngee ngee
and im pirit jere chingin out inchide langa billabong
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me
waltjim bat matilda, waltjim bat matilda,
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me
and im pirit jere chingin out inchide langa billabong
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me
waltjim bat matilda, waltjim bat matilda,
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me
and im koodook (spirit) jere chingin out inchide langa billabong
you balla cum n waltjim bat matilda langa me
Ich wanderte im Jahre 1965 vom (k)alten Deutschland nach Australien aus. In Erinnerung an das alte Sprichwort "Gott hüte mich vor Sturm und Wind und Deutschen die im Ausland sind" wurde ich in 1971 im Dschungel von Neu-Guinea australischer Staatsbürger. Das kostete mich nur einen Umlaut und das zweite n im Nachnamen - von -mann auf -man.
Australien gab mir eine zweite Sprache und eine zweite Chance und es war auch der Anfang und das Ende: nach fünfzig Arbeiten in fünfzehn Ländern - "Die ganze Welt mein Arbeitsfeld" - lebe ich jetzt im Ruhestand in Australien an der schönen Südküste von Neusüdwales.
Ich verbringe meine Tage mit dem Lesen von Büchern, segle mein Boot den Fluss hinunter, beschäftige mich mit Holzarbeit, oder mache Pläne für eine neue Reise. Falls Du mir schreiben willst, sende mir eine Email an riverbendnelligen [AT] mail.com, und ich schreibe zurück.
Falls Du anrufen möchtest, meine Nummer ist XLIV LXXVIII X LXXXI.
Notice to North American readers:
This blog is written in the version of English that is standard here. So recognise is spelled recognise and not recognize etc. I recognise that some North American readers may find this upsetting, and while I sympathise with them, I sympathise even more with my countrymen who taught me how to spell. However, as an apology, here are a bunch of Zs for you to put where needed.
Zzzzzz
Disclaimer
This blog has no particular axe to grind, apart from that of having no particular axe to grind. It is written by a bloke who was born in Germany at the end of the war (that is, for younger readers, the Second World War, the one the Americans think they won single-handedly). He left for Australia when most Germans had not yet visited any foreign countries, except to invade them. He lived and worked all over the world, and even managed a couple of visits back to the (c)old country whose inhabitants he found very efficient, especially when it came to totting up what he had consumed from the hotels' minibars. In retirement, he lives (again) in Australia, but is yet to grow up anywhere.
He reserves the right to revise his views at any time. He might even indulge in the freedom of contradicting himself. He has done so in the past and will most certainly do so in the future. He is not persuading you or anyone else to believe anything that is reported on or linked to from this site, but encourages you to use all available resources to form your own opinions about important things that affect all our lives and to express them in accordance with Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Everything on this website, including any material that third parties may consider to be their copyright, has been used on the basis of “fair dealing” for the purposes of research and study, and criticism and review. Any party who feels that their copyright has been infringed should contact me with details of the copyright material and proof of their ownership and I will remove it.
And finally, don't bother trying to read between the lines. There are no lines - only snapshots, most out of focus.
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