TALKIE SPEECH.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19889, 28 March 1930, Page 11

TALKIE SPEECH.

INVASION OF SYDNEY.

(fbok ous owk coaaxssoiroinx.)

SYDNEY, March 20.

The talkies are undoubtedly to blame for the new language, that has invaded Sydney,, From the mouths of flappMs, particularly you hear.it. "I ani to bits," said the modern Sydneyflap«er, who is as quick as a parrot—quicker, 'perhaps—to pick up the jargon of the worst of* the talkies. Again, she might say* she does say, that sheets "bored to tears." She talks about her. latest "thrill" when she tells of the latest young man to escort her anywhere, the " thrill" being the man hm* self and not the adventure. She will hold out her hand and will say "Shake." or "Press the flesh.?' Many Australian fathers are now "Pop." All sorts of other words have crept into everyday conversation withojit -.bring" ing about any improvement. The Prime Minister of Western Australia (Mt Collier) was very severe on Sydney the other day.-He said-that he felt ashamed when he came to_ this city to pee how America was Americanising young Sydney. He blamed the talkies* for making Australian boys ana girls ape the Americans in manner, dress, accent, and slang. - The question whether the . talkies were having a seriously detrimental effect was answered by several prominent people. "Too much dang is bad," said Professor Wallace,'Vice-Chancellor of the Sydney University. "But it is hard to differentiate between Australian and American slang, or to say which is the more harmful—or if either is very harmful. Personally, I have not heard very much American. slang used here. I think that the influence of the talkies on our language will be negligible." 1 Professor Holme, Professor of the English Language, said that a certain amount of English slang was occasionally heard, but. he did-not think that it. was firmly established. In any case it was not likely to live long, because slang was always changing. Others said-that the novelty of .some of the terms used in the ; pictures had the youth of the day. They used those terms in their own speech because - they thought they sounded clever. . They would soon come to realise that they had enough slang if their' own without going to America for more, and the majority would be loyal enough to stick to "Pure" Aus-tralian-slang, and so retain their own nationality. It was most notable that girls were greater offenders than youths in the use of American terms. That was- difficult to understand*, for a girl who used slang of any sort did not add to her general attractiveness. So, it would seem, it remains for the "guys" and "Dames" to show that they are "Dinkum Aussies."-