so they supposedly speak English here in Australia. but it's not the same English that I'm familiar with. they have an accent, but that's not all. they have the most... interesting phrases. so often I have to ask for clarification, and all the other times I just feign understanding. it's been a... growing experience, to say the least. so, upon special request, here are a few uniquely un-Canadian ways of speaking....
-they "have a go" at something, or give it a go...
-they do indeed call prefect strangers "mate"...
-french fries are called chips and chips are called crisps.
-they use the word "bizarre" more often than I realized was possible.
-it's perfectly fine to ask where the toilet is in a shopping centre. I haven't yet been able to bring myself to do that. it seems too... abrupt.
-"fairdinkum".... I believe it's a term like, "I couldn't believe it!" or "seriously?" I don't think I'll be picking up on that one.
-they "suss" out things. I asked for clarification on this one as well... Alanna said it maybe comes from the word suspect. so... to suss out a job, is to search for one. or to to suess something out is to look into it. I think.
-"heaps and heaps". I've had heaps of coffee since coming here! it's just so tasty.
-"quick sticks" is something that your grandma would say to you to hurry you along..... (my mom always said "quick like a bunny"...)
-OH! this one confused me a few times and I'd just mumble through an answer. "how you going?" it's like... a combo of our "how are you doing?" and "how's it going?". fairly simple I guess. But I usually just reply... ".. good. how are you?" and it continually seems mildly awkward.
-they say "cheers" instead of thank-you and good-bye. it's nice but I'd feel like a pretender if I said that one.
-"ta": see "cheers"
-"whinging" is the equivalent of our "whining"
-"cozzies" are swimmers. I have no idea why.
-to "stuff up" something is to mess it all up.
-"sunnies" are sunglasses.... that seems like a fun one, wouldn't you say?
-and garbage is actually also referred to as "rubbish". actually. like, in all seriousness.
there's another phrase or two that isn't supposed to be bad sounding. but they are. and I'm not going to share them. you can thank me later.
it rained today. maybe now that the weathers gotten that out of it's system, I can walk to the store. I'm going to try out a new smoothie/shake recipe. if it works out, I'll be sure to share it with you.
ta!
2 comments:
i loved this post. i love knowing how other people talk...there's a dialect vlog going around the blogosphere right now and i love it. have you noticed? there's a list of words and you're supposed to read them out in a vlog and then answer various questions (example: what do you call a carbonated beverage?)
so interesting.
also, i spent a lot of time one spring with a group of guys from england and they'd always say, "you good?" when they saw me and i thought, "wow, do i just always look depressed or something?" but apparently that's just how they say hi. who knew? haha. long long LONG comment.
I hadn't noticed the vlog about words. haha... you good? it can be so very confusing... and you're working so hard to understand what they mean that you often decide you know what they mean when that's not what they mean at all. it's hard work for my brain.
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