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Tall poppies and egalitarianism in Australian discourse
Citation
Peeters, BL, Tall poppies and egalitarianism in Australian discourse, English World-Wide, 25, (1) pp. 1-25. ISSN 0172-8865 (2004) [Refereed Article]
DOI: doi:10.1075/eww.25.1.02pee
Abstract
In Australian English, tall poppies are usually individuals who, on the basis of unwarranted self-adulation, itself a consequence of success, amassed fortune or fame, have become targets for criticism; or, less frequently, individuals who, overcome by success, amassed fortune or fame, and on the mistaken assumption that they are above the law, have engaged in unlawful behaviour, only to find that, eventually, the law catches up with them as well. They become the victims of a widespread tendency, known as the tall poppy syndrome, to scrutinize high achievers and cut down the tall poppies among them. Sometimes, especially in the world of science, the term tall poppy is also used to refer to outstanding scholars who deserve to be publicly acknowledged for their work. This paper looks at tall poppies and at the tall poppy syndrome in Australian discourse, and argues that the term tall poppy is a key word which, when studied closely in terms of its currency, its incidence in collocations, etc., reveals a great deal about the real nature of egalitarianism, one of Australia′s most often named cultural values. © 2004 John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Research Division: | Language, Communication and Culture |
Research Group: | Language studies |
Research Field: | English language |
Objective Division: | Culture and Society |
Objective Group: | Communication |
Objective Field: | Literature |
UTAS Author: | Peeters, BL (Dr Bert Peeters) |
ID Code: | 30966 |
Year Published: | 2004 |
Deposited By: | English, Journalism and European Languages |
Deposited On: | 2004-08-01 |
Last Modified: | 2005-05-27 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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