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You are here: Home / In English / The word of the week is Wagga Wagga.

The word of the week is Wagga Wagga.

26.12.2016

In Australia, an occasional traveller was surprised by the large number of non-English place names: Coogee, Geelong, Jamberoo, Morawa, Yarraand so on. Particularly playful-sounding were replicated names likeBallaballa, Grong Grong, Kurri Kurri, Wagga Wagga and rhymed ones like Arrawarra, Turramurra, Tumbi Umbi. Replicated names were so common that questions arose whether they had some grammatical significance. It turned out that plural is expressed by repetition. For example “Wagga” has originally meant ’crow’ and Wagga Wagga ’many crows’, and in turn, Baw means ’echo’ and place name Baw Baw ’echoes’. Has English borrowed other words from Australian Aboriginal languages? Not many, but they are very familiar: kangaroo, koala, dingo, boomerang. All of these, of course, I had to look for on my trip to Australia.

Filed Under: In English, Word of the Week

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