Sitges Blog: de desembre 2010

dimarts, 7 de desembre del 2010

Unique Australian traits

1. Australian English incorporates several uniquely Australian terms, such as outback to refer to remote regional areas, walkabout to refer to a long journey of uncertain length and bush to refer to native forested areas.
2. Fair dinkum can mean are you telling me the truth?, or this is the truth!, or even this is ridiculous! depending on context. G'day is well known as a stereotypical Australian greeting. (It is worth noting that "G'day" is not quite synonymous with "good day", and is never used as an expression for "farewell".)
3. Some elements of Aboriginal languages have been incorporated into Australian English, mainly as names for places, flora and fauna (e.g. Dingo, kangaroo). Beyond that, very few terms have been adopted into the wider language. A notable exception is Cooee (a musical call which travels long distances in the bush and is used to say 'is there anyone there?'). Though often thought of as an Aboriginal word, Didgeridoo/Didjeridu (a well known wooden musical instrument) is actually an onomatopoeic term coined by an English settler.
4. Australian English has a unique set of diminutives formed by adding -o or -ie to the ends of (often abbreviated words). There does not appear to be any particular pattern to which of these suffixes is used. Examples with the -o ending include abo (aborigine - now considered very offensive), arvo (afternoon), servo (service station) and ambo (ambulance officer). Examples of the -ie ending include barbie (barbeque), bikkie (biscuit) and blowie (blowfly). Occasionally, a -za diminutive is used, usually for personal names. Barry becomes Bazza, Karen becomes Kazza and Sharon becomes Shazza.
5. A substantial collection of unusual words are in common spoken usage - e.g. "dacks" (trousers), "dag" (unfashionable person), "ute" (a utility truck). An even larger vocabulary is derived from recognisable words with entirely new meanings - "to bag" (to criticise), "blue" (either a fight or heated argument, or an embarrassing mistake), "crook" (unwell, also unfair), "to wag" (to play truant), "cactus" (non-functional), "cut" (angry) and especially "root" (a euphemism for sexual intercourse, which has caused social embarrassment for American women who innocently declare that they "root" for a particular sports team). Iin Australia fanny is a slang term for a vagina.

Australian English vocabulary

A

• ace - excellent, very good

• aggro – (adj) aggressive; (n) aggravation

• apples, she's - everything is all right;

• arvo – short for afternoon; in use since the 1950s

B

• bag - (v) to denigrate; (n) an ugly woman;

• bang sexual intercourse

• beaut – (adj) great, fantastic, terrific; in use since the 1910s (n);

• beauty – exclamation showing approval, often spelt as bewdy

• bickie – biscuit.

• big bickies – lots of money

• bizzo - business ("Mind your own bizzo.")

• bloody oath - that's certainly true;

• blue an embarrassing mistake (for example, "I've made a blue.")

• bodgy - of inferior quality

• bog in - to attack a meal with enthusiasm

• bottler - something excellent

• buggered - tired. "I'm feeling buggered."

• buttsucker - someone who smokes cigarettes

C

• cackleberry - egg

• chook - a chicken

• Chrissie - Christmas

• chunder - vomit. "I had a chunder.".

• come a gutser - make a bad mistake, have an accident

• cossie, cozzie - swimming costume, bathers

• cranky - in a bad mood, angry

• crunk - to get drunk

• cut – angry or upset

D

• dag an unfashionable or uncool person, equivalent to "geek" or "dork".

• deso - the designated driver on a night out.. I can't, I'm the deso'

• dinger - condom

• dinkum – honest, genuine, real Fair dinkum means "fair and square", i.e. honest; true; real; genuine; can be shortened to dinks

• docket - a bill, receipt

• doco - documentary

• drongo - foolish person

• dunny – toilet derro - a term for idiot ,. 'What a derro'

E • earbashing - nagging, non-stop chatter

F • footpath – any well-used walkway, sidewalk or pavement.

• franger - condom

G • g'day – good day, hello;

• good onya - good for you, well done

H • hooroo - goodbye

J • jaded- feeling hungover or suffering the after effects of drugs

L • lingo – language or dialect

• lippy - lipstick

N • no worries or nurries – you're welcome; no problem; that's all right;

• norgs - tits

O • okey-dokey – OK

• onya - a congratulatory term

P

• paro/parro/ pissed - drunk

• pig's arse – I don't agree with you

• porker - a lie, "he's tellin porkers"

• pov or povo – cheap looking; from poverty

• preggers, preggo - pregnant

• pissing down – raining heavy

• Poof, poofter - homosexual, gay or a fag

Q • quack - a doctor. "I have to visit the quack."

• quid, make a - earn a living

R

• rage - party

• rage on - to continue partying - "we raged on until 3am"

• rapt - pleased, delighted

• ratshit – broken, not working properly; extremely drunk

• reckon - Giving your opinion. ("It's hot, don't you reckon?"

• rego - vehicle registration

• ridgy-didge - original, genuine

• righto - okay or that's right. Can also be said as rightio.

• root - slang term for sex

• ropeable - very angry

• rubbish - (verb) to criticise

S

• scrag an unattractive woman

• servo - service station (i.e. petrol station / gas station)

• sheila - woman.

• sherbet - beer. As in "going to to the pub for a couple of sherbets"

• stella - good, pleasing, thanks

• stoked - very pleased

• stuffed – exhausted, tired

• sweet – fine, good

T

• tinny - a can of beer

• tinny, tin-arsed - lucky

• toey - nervous, distracted;

• togs - swimming costume, bathers

U • unco - clumsy, uncoordinated

• uni - university

• unit - flat, apartment

• up the duff - pregnant (i.e., my sheila's up the duff)

W

• wag –to play truant

• whinge - complain; similar to crying

• wog - flu or trivial illness.

Y • yabber - talk (a lot)

• yarn - (verb) to talk