Been A2A’d, but alas, I went through the general linguistics programme 20 years ago, and I haven’t stayed in touch. Some generalities: Melbourne Uni has the Language Testing Research Centre, which means that Language Testing is one of the core strengths of the department. The department also has three ESL specialists. The department includes Tim […]
The claim, Googling tells me, comes from Homo Prospectus (2016), by Martin Seligman et al. Its programmatic claim is that: Our species is misnamed. Though sapiens defines human beings as “wise” what humans do especially well is to prospect the future. We are homo prospectus. If the title is to be more accurate, then we […]
I didn’t get to know my paternal grandparents well; I met my grandfather only once, my grandmother twice. My grandmother was somewhat vague by the time I met her, and I had real trouble with her dialect. My grandfather was vaguely feared, but I couldn’t particularly see why at eight years of age; I hadn’t […]
https://8values.github.io/ You know, for someone who has said publicly that they have made their peace with the market, I’m still scoring pretty socialist. For someone who despairs of the morass of modern Western democracy, I’m still scoring pretty democratic. For someone who thinks globalisation is proving a mistake, I’m still scoring pretty internationalist. And for […]
We truly are spoiled for choice in this town, Miguel Paraz. I did take my future wife for Valentine’s Day to Grossi Florentino our first year of dating. It truly is a high temple of dining. It would have to be, at $200 a person. But the place that pops into my head is Scugnizzo. […]
Well, you need to know What’s Bendigo, Australia like to live in? You need to know that Bendigo is a two hour train ride from Melbourne, and a smidgeon longer as a car ride. You need to know that there are good foodie options to be had in Bendigo, that real estate is affordable, that […]
Oh, we Aussies, we’re a defensive lot. Not the first time I’ve seen this on Quora. And I did appreciate Alap Arslan’s answer. Lemme have a go. casual swearing (cursing) Yes. I don’t think it’s uniquely Australian, but we certainly pride ourselves in swearing; the subreddit Straya • r/straya seems to use cunt as every […]
Vote #1 Kim Huynh’s answer to What are the pros and cons of living in Australia specifically in Melbourne? This will be rather more superficial. Pro Melbourne: Lots of parkland. Good public transport system (so long as you’re commuting to and from the CBD) Critical mass of culture in general Excellent foodie culture Excellent sporting […]
It’s a comparison you hear often (“Australia: a combination of the best parts of California and England”), and it’s not unfounded: Both are warmish—by Anglosphere standards Both are informal—by Anglosphere standards (insert “by Anglosphere standards” in all the following) Both are outgoing and friendly according to their own self-perception Both prioritise a relaxed lifestyle Both […]