Expressions of War in Australia and the Pacific Language, Trauma, Memory, and Official Discourse

This edited book includes chapters that explore the impact of war and its aftermath in language and official discourse. It covers a broad chronological range from the First World War to very recent experiences of war, with a focus on Australia and the Pacific region. It examines three main themes in relation to language: the impact of war and trauma on language, the language of war remembrance, and the language of official communications of war and the military. An innovative work that takes an interdisciplinary approach to the themes of war and language, the collection will be of interest to students and scholars across linguistics, literary studies, history and conflict studies.

Amanda Laugesen is Director of the Australian National Dictionary Centre at the Australian National University. She is the author of a number of books, including Furphies and Whizz-bangs: Anzac Slang from the Great War (2015) and Taking Books to the World: American Publishers and the Cultural Cold War (2017).

Catherine Fisher is a Visiting Fellow in the School of History at the Australian National University. Her research examines the history of Australian women’s broadcasting. Her work has been published in Women’s History Review, Outskirts: Feminisms Along the Edge, and Lilith: A Feminist History Journal.