Susan Pryke Writing and Communiciation Management

Pity the poor Canadian who has landed in Australia expecting everyone to speak the same English as she does. That’s like expecting the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador to speak the same English as Ontarians. But at least in Canada we are used to the Newfie expressions and have a chance of catching on.

Here, there is little hope of figuring it out on your own.

This past weekend my friend told me the story of an Australian author who autographed a book "to Emma Chisit," then discovered that was not the person's name. She was asking: "How much is it?"

Whether the Emma Chisit incident is true or not, it became the genesis of the book “Let’s Talk Strine” by Prof. Afferbeck Lauder (Alphabetical Order), a pseudonym of Alastair Ardock Morrison, who invented the term “Strine” (Australian).

Using phonetic interpretation of the Australian dialect, he lampooned the Aussies’ penchant for rolling one word into another and placing the stress on syllables in different ways than we Canadians do.

And so you get:

Spewffle climber treely. (It’s a beautiful climate, really.)

Egg Nisher (Air conditioner)

Mare Chick (Magic)

Terror Souse (Terrace House)

Snow ewe smite. (It’s no use, Mate.)

Laughly (lovely)

Butter dinsim carmairt. (But I didn’t see him come out.)

It’s required reading for any Canadian who intends visiting Australia.

I have my own list of words to mispronounce (as far as I am concerned) to avoid drawing attention to myself:

Garage, (gar –ah-j) is gair-ah-j.

Tomato, (toe-mate-toe) is toe-mat-toe.

Our sounds more like air.

Aluminum is not only prounounced differently, it is spelled differently: aluminium with an “i” before the last syllable.  It is pronounced al-you-min-ee-um.

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Then there are a host of new names to learn: 

Accident – Prang

Barbecue – Barbie

Bathing Suit – Swimmers, Cossie

Beer (in cans) – Tinnies

Bicycle – Push-bike

Breakfast – Brekkie

Candies – Lollies

Cantaloupe – Rock Mellon

Chard – Silver Beet

Chicken – Chook

Clobber – Clothes

Cooler –Eskie

Cookie – Bikkie

Complain – Whinge

Dinner - Tea

Fight – Blue

Green Pepper – Capsicum

Kangaroo – Boomer

Ketchup – Sauce

Man – Bloke

McDonald’s – Maccas

Mosquito – Mozzie

Parents – Oldies

Pharmacy – Chemist

Playhouse – Cubby House

Sheep – Jumbuck

Shorts – Stubbies

Shrimp – Prawn

Sod – Turf

Soldier – Digger

Sweater –Jumper

Towels, sheets –Manchester

Trousers –Daks

Truck – Ute, Lorrie

Trunk – Boot

Windshield – Windscreen

White lie – Furphy

Woman – Sheila

Aussies also shorten any word they can. Once they shorten the word, they often add a “ie” or an “o”.

The Returned Services League (RSL) becomes The Servo. The Bowling Club is The Bowlo. A work break is a Smoko. The Bottle Shop is the Bottle-o. Afternoon is Arvo.

Ambulance Drivers, bricklayers, tradesmen and journalists, become ambos, brickies, tradies and journos.

Nothing is sacred. Christmas is Chrissie.

And finally, I have a new list of phrases to understand. Here are some of my favourites:

Back of Burke: a long way away

Fair dinkum: true

Good on ya: well done

Mad as a cut snake: very angry

Kangaroos loose in the top paddock: intellectually inadequate.

Don’t come the raw prawn with me: Don’t try to trick me.

It’s gone walkabout: It’s lost.

She’ll be right: It will be OK.

Bob’s your uncle: It will be alright.

Flat out like a lizard drinking: very fast

Wouldn’t be dead for quids: I am very happy and well.

G’day.