12.3 Australian slang, word origins
Description
This article is from the soc.culture.australian FAQ, by Stephen Wales with numerous contributions by others.
12.3 Australian slang, word origins
[ There are more than likely several errors in this. Please feel free
to email me corrections/additions/notes -SW ]
A brief lesson in Australian English -
David Stybr of Illinois - MaestroDJS@aol.com
Much has been written about the differences between British English and
American English. However, nothing quite matches Australian English for
its lively colourful phrases. Some words and expressions are quite
naturally taken from British slang. Some words have completely different
meanings in Australia than in Anglophone countries north of the Equator.
A number of commonly-used words have been shortened considerably. Other
words are indigenous to Australia and derived from Aboriginal terms, such
as "boomerang" and "kangaroo". In general, however, the wonderful slang
of Australian English is primarily because Australians take English as a
game to be played, and they love to have fun with it. Some of the words
and expressions are readily understandable but others can be incredibly
obscure in their meanings and derivations.
In addition to the slang, Australian pronunciation can be peculiar. To
the casual listener is sounds similar to Cockney pronunciation, but it
differs in many ways. Australian speech also tends to be more contracted,
with some sounds and even entire syllables omitted. Most obvious in
Australian speech are the "I" sound for "A" and "Ah" for "R". These can
best be illustrated with examples of pronunciations such as "egg nishner"
= "air conditioner", "G'dye, myte" = "Good day, mate", "Strine" =
"Australian", or "Wyne chevva cold share" = "Why don't you have a cold
shower." (American English has some similar examples, as in the phrase
"Jeet jet?" = "Did you eat yet?")
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