Billabong
Billabong is an Australian English word meaning a small lake, specifically an oxbow lake, a section of still water adjacent to a river, cut off by a change in the watercourse.[1] Billabongs are usually formed when the path of a creek or river changes, leaving the former branch with a dead end. Billabongs, reflecting the arid Australian climate in which these "dead rivers" are found, fill with water seasonally and are dry for a greater part of the year.[2]
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[edit] Etymology
The etymology of the word "billabong" is disputed. The word is most likely derived from the indigenous Wiradjuri term bilabaŋ, which means "a watercourse that runs only after rain" and is derived from "bila", meaning "river",[3] and possibly "bong" or "bung", meaning "dead".[4]
As the lake kept water longer than parts of the river, it was important to the people to name these areas.[1][5][6] One source claims a Scottish Gaelic origin of the term.[7]
[edit] References in Australian culture
[edit] In literature
Oh there once was a swagman camped in the billabong,
Under the shade of a Coolibah tree,
And he sang as he looked at the old billy boiling,
Who'll come a'waltzing Matilda with me
Billabongs are referred to relatively often in Australian literature; Banjo Paterson's famous folk song "Waltzing Matilda" takes place beside a billabong. Mary Grant Bruce wrote a series of books known as the Billabong series, which focus on the adventures of the Linton family on Billabong station during the period of World War I.[8]
[edit] In art
Both Australian Aboriginal and European artists use billabongs as subject matter in painting, for example Aboriginal painter Lance Tjyllyungoo's watercolour "Trees at a billabong".
[edit] In commerce
Billabong is the name of a brand of Australian clothing and surfwear.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Clarke, R. "Australianisms in 'Waltzing Matilda'", Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd, 10 December 2003. Last accessed 5 November 2009.
- ^ USGS [Annotated Definitions of Selected Geomorphic Terms and Related Terms of Hydrology, Sedimentology, Soil Science, and Ecology], USGS Open File Report 2008-1217.
- ^ "billabong." The Macquarie Dictionary. South Yarra: The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd., 2005. Credo Reference. Web. 19 January 2012.
- ^ A. P. Elkin (June 1967). "Review of Australian English: An Historical Study of the Vocabulary, 1788-1898 by W. S. Ramson". Oceania (Oceania Publications, University of Sydney) 37 (4): 318-319. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40329620.
- ^ Ludowyk, F. "Of Billy, Bong, Bung, & 'Billybong'", Australian National University, no date. Last accessed 15 March 2008
- ^ "billabong", Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online. Accessed 15 March 2008
- ^ Skilton, St J. The Survey of Scottish Gaelic in Australia and New Zealand, p. 300. Quote: A respondent to his survey said: "'Bill' = 'bile' = 'lip or mouth' and 'abong' is from 'abhainn' = 'river' with a parasitic 'G' added. A billabong probably has a mouth shape of sorts being at a bend in a river." University of Fribourg, Switzerland, June 2004. Last accessed 15 March 2008
- ^ Pierce, Peter (2009). The Cambridge history of Australian literature. Cambridge England New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521881654.
[edit] External links
Media related to Billabongs of Australia at Wikimedia Commons
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