The word ‘sovereignty’ is recorded as part of the English language since at least 1340 – a very old word of Norman/French origin. ‘Sovereignty’ means, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, ‘Supremacy in respect of power, domination, or rank; supreme dominion.’ The word is used repeatedly in the ‘Uluru Statement from the Heart’ – the document that is the basis for the proposed indigenous Voice to parliament. Reading the Uluru statement it appears that this proposal is an assertion of ‘sovereignty’ over the Australian continent and its offshore islands. The Uluru Statement from the Heart says, ‘Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tribes were the first sovereign nations of the Australian continent and its adjacent islands…. This sovereignty is a spiritual notion…. It has never been ceded or extinguished. And it coexists with the sovereignty of the Crown….’ The statement goes on to describe this sovereignty as a ‘sacred link’ and calls for substantive constitutional change to re-establish ‘this ancient sovereignty’. The statement goes on to say this is why they want ‘a First Nations voice enshrined in the constitution’. So, as a wordsmith, I am proposing that the word ‘sovereignty’ should be front and centre of the debate over a referendum to embed an indigenous advisory council called the voice in the Australian constitution. Our own Macquarie Dictionary says the word ‘sovereignty’ means ‘the quality or state of being sovereign; the status, dominion, power, or authority of a sovereign; supreme and independent power or authority in government as possessed or claimed by a state or community’. So far no one has mentioned ‘sovereignty’ when talking about the coming referendum – perhaps it’s time we did?

Calvin and Hobbes is a daily comic strip created by Bill Watterson which ran from 1985 to 1995, but continues to be re-run around the world. It has been called the last great comic strip – at least partly because he often tackled big ideas by having Calvin (a precocious six-year-old) talk like a philosopher. For instance, here are the remarkable thoughts of young Calvin on language in one strip: ‘Hey Dad, know what I figured out? The meaning of words isn’t a fixed thing! Any word can mean anything! By giving words new meanings, ordinary English can become an exclusionary code! Two generations can be divided by the same language! To that end, I’ll be inventing new definitions for common words, so we’ll be unable to communicate.’ Then to demonstrate how his language will now work Calvin says to his weary Dad: ‘Don’t you think that’s totally spam? It’s lubricated! Well, I’m phasing.’ Bill Watterson used his comic strip to mock those people who think they can give well-established words unrelated meanings. One current example is found in those people who claim they can use the word ‘woman’ to mean a man (someone with XY chromosomes) who ‘identifies’ as a woman. Or those who think the word ‘white’ now means ‘evil oppressor’. Watterson has turned woke into a joke!