desert

  • Dead Heart: Australia’s Desert Centre

    Australia has a heart. It is also, rather oddly, called dead. “The Dead Heart” is an old expression for the arid interior of Australia. The phrase became particularly influential after geologist John Walter Gregory used it as the title of his 1906 book The Dead Heart of Australia, following his expedition around Lake Eyre. The name reflects an older way of imagining Australia’s inland deserts as dry, empty and lifeless. Modern knowledge tells a much richer story: central Australia supports a remarkable range of plants, animals and human cultures. Even so, “the Dead Heart” remains part of Australian English and Australia’s historical vocabulary. Meaning 「Dead Heart」は、オーストラリア中央部の乾燥した内陸地域、特に砂漠地帯を指す古くからの表現です。この表現を広めた重要な人物が地質学者John Walter Gregoryで、1906年にThe Dead Heart…

  • Sandgroper/西オーストラリア人

    Sandgroper Australian English A native or resident of the state of Western Australia. A West Australian. A Westralian. The name comes from an insect that lives in the state, but has become the nickname of Western Australia’s inhabitants. Western Australia has a greater land area than any other state in Australia, but much of it is desert and the nickname probably also derives from this fact. 日本語 西オーストラリア州出身及び定住者のこと。Sandgroperは、直訳すると「砂を揉む人」だけど、もともと虫の名前だった。西オーストラリア州の面積がオーストラリアの７つの州の中で最も広いが、そのほとんどが砂漠地帯なので、そこの住民が「砂を揉む人」と呼ばれるようになった理由に違いない。 Plain English A Western Australian. Strine Dictionary