How to Speak Australian

Despite the fact that I’ve already posted a lot about how the Australian terminology and accents differ from ours, and there are entire books and websites dedicated to the dictionary of Australian slang, I realized that there are a lot of terms and expressions that, although common, no one seems to mention. What I often find most surprising are the expressions that seem rather colloquial but are so ingrained in the culture that they are used in what would be considered proper context, like the nightly news. For example:

Mum = Mom
Bashing = Beating
Arvo = Afternoon
Brekky = Breakfast. This is just one example of a countrywide tradition of shortening words. This includes the names of people, places and activities. Almost any word that can stand to lose a syllable, will. So I’m still not quit sure why they attach the extra “s” to “maths.”
Re = Regarding and it is pronounced as a word and not each letter. Although, I have a feeling this shortened word didn’t become common until well into our current era of texts and e-mails.

And in the tradition of shortening everything as much as it can possibly be shortened and still understood, the Aussies have taken their own expression “Good on ya” and shortened it to a sweet and simple “On ya.” I guess the extra four letters make it just too long.

“Nice day for it” is often the response you will get in polite elevator speak. “Going to the beach? Nice day for it.” Yes, it is often a nice day for most things Oz.

Don’t ask what someone thinks but rather what they reckon. Aussies will also often tell you what they reckon. “I reckon it will be a nice day for it.”

If you like something then you’re probably keen on it. “I reckon we could go out for a beer this arvo if your keen. Nice day for it.”

“Hey” can be used like the Canadian “eh” and often is intended to pressure and unspoken agreement. “That was a good movie, hey?” Although, what I find confusing about the Aussie use of this particular expression is that it’s more often associated with the Kiwi’s (which, by the way, is also an accepted news term) as is the use of expressions ending with “as” like “he was drunk as,” “she is hot as” and “that was stupid as.” Whether Aussie or Kiwi in origin, I particularly like this expression because there really isn’t a need for the comparison that might follow the “as.” The lack of words paints it’s own picture. ‘Nough said.

But the occasional use of an expression that seems to float between the countries, doesn’t stop the Aussie’s from making fun of their neighbors for their grasp of the English vowels. I would love to see what they think of a southern drawl.

My next set of travels will take me to Queensland, a state so determined to be different from the others that it doesn’t even adopt daylight savings time, and then to the heart of the country where I’m sure everything will be different. I’ve no doubt those experiences will lead me to more accents and expressions I could never have learned about from a guide book. So stay tuned for continuing installments of “How to Speak Australian.”