Of course, maybe I only think my accent is so clear because it has been ringing in my own ears since I could speak.  It is certainly true that before I went to Oz, my knowledge of Australian accents didn’t go too far past G’day and crikey.  Now I can not only instantly tell the difference between a Kiwi and an Aussie (bloody big accent gap there) but I can also hear the subtle differences between certain regional accents. In fact, any accent quirks, slang or expressions are so common to me now, that I have completely forgotten to report them in my “How To Speak Australian” posts.  Though I still can’t mimic a Queenslander the way I could mimic someone from Queens.

So perhaps when people tell me that I have a “soft accent” it’s because I don’t sound like the mass media produced idea of “Amurkins”.  I am back in the states right now, and was just recently in Texas.  Now there is an accent thick with recognition.  I doubt the average Texan would be mistaken for a Canadian.  But the friendly “y’alls” are hardly representative of the entire country, just as not all Aussies go to the “dunny” (well they do, but they don’t all call it that).  Though while the Australians seem to prefer the “soft accent”, passing along that observation as if it’s a compliment, most Americans I know, love any accent that isn’t their own.  So, an occasional use of the word dunny would probably be seen as quite adorable.

Though there are still those Aussies who choose to make fun of my accent by repeating exactly what I said back to me in the worst mock of a yank they can muster.  It’s hard on the ears and brings out my NY attitude, not something I would recommend.   Personally, my ear for accents has been readjusted so many times now, that it takes a conscious effort to pick out the ones that seem out of place, unless they represent the extreme end of the accent scale.  But I won’t be mimicking, picking out or complimenting people on their “soft accents”, not only because I won’t even notice them, but also because I know that rather than being soft, that are simply average.  And I hope that in the years to come, wherever else in the world they may take me, I develop an even “softer” accent, spiced by the people and places I come in contact with.  In the meantime, I’ll get back to my reports on the quirks of Aussie language, in the hopes of sharing a little language flavor with those who cannot taste test in person.  But since I’m stateside for the moment.  I’ll end with a little . . .

Happy Holidays Y’all!

whinging = whining.  I like this because it can never be confused with wining and dining, something I would never whinge about.
flat out = busy as hell.  This is a personal favorite of mine because it conjures of the image of being flattened by a steamroller, which is how being busy as hell can feel from time to time.
full on = intense, holding nothing back.  If work is full on you might feel pretty flat out, but try not to whinge about it.
rug up = layer up.  Winter is coming so I’m going to have to rug up.  Since most of the housing in Australia lacks insulation, I’m even going to have to rug up in doors.  That is something I will whinge about.
rock up = show up.  It’s pretty much the opposite of bounce, the way New Yorkers say they want to leave.  I haven’t adopted either, so I’m not likely to rock up and then bounce from anywhere.

There are also a lot of words that Aussies use in ways that Americans tend not to use them in.  I believe it was a former boss (the same one who hated the expression “no problem”) who pointed out how rude it sounded to start your statement with look or listen.  Not that I ever did that, just a lot of other people I had to listen to him complain about.  I became quite sensitive to it after that.  It does, in fact, sound like you are starting your sentence with “look, dumb ass.”  But it’s very common practice in Oz.  Not only do you hear it in interviews, on news programs and in casual conversation, but politicians also use it during debates and press conferences.  Of course, to their opponents they may very well be saying “look, dumb ass.”

Americans also tend to think that scheme means something bad.  People are always coming up with hair-brained schemes on sit-coms, which tend to go very wrong.  In the States, criminals and crooked politicians scheme.  But in Oz, a scheme is quite literally “a plan, design, or program of action to be followed.”  Thank you dictionary.com.

And for our last lesson of the day, when an American might say knock on wood and Aussie will say touch wood.  I won’t get into why that would be misunderstood.  Just know that I’ve adopted that one too, so try not to laugh when I say it.

I always ask if that’s why they start with the Canadian question, but most don’t admit it.  They simply say they just can’t tell the difference between the accents.  But without a tell tale “about” pronounced “aboot”, neither can I.  Despite the fact that I have picked up on many subtleties of the Australian accent since arriving here, including the tendency to say “reckon” a lot, end many statements with a cheery upward inflection and pronounce the letter H with an audible huff, I wouldn’t be able to tell a New Zealander from an Aussie unless they were wearing something bearing their respective flags which, I should mention to the Aussies, many Canadians do.

So, it’s not the confusion of the two countries that throws me off, as much as it is the way in which the question get’s asked.  It’s always either “Canadian?” or “American?”.  I can’t remember the last time I was asked “Where are you from?”.  Even when were were being asked by every Aussie we encountered “Are you on holiday?”  the follow up question was usually “Canadian?”. I don’t think I have ever asked someone where they were from by suggesting a country first.  Chinese?  Mexican?  Outer Mongolian?

Perhaps that’s because I’m keenly aware that I have no idea what subtle differences exist in the accents of certain countries and the many varied regions within them.  Even back in the States, I wouldn’t be able to guess what state someone was from unless they spoke with an accent worthy of an SNL skit or a Simpson’s character.  Although “hella” is a dead give away from a Northern Californian.  I guess you do pick up on these things after extended exposure.  I might be able to guess which continent you are from, but even then I’d be taking a stab at it.  I might even be wrong if I offered up a hemisphere, so I prefer to stick to the simple “where are you from?”.

I should mention that I have heard more than one Brit insult the Australian twists on English by saying “whose language is it?”.  Funny, I never heard that joke in the States.  Maybe they’ve finally let go of those colonies, or just desire to cut ties with us entirely.  Our neighbors to the North certainly want to.  I only hope they don’t feel about us they way these Kiwis feel about my new neighbors.

Flight of the Concords – Jermaine sleeps with an Australian

Watch the whole video.  The accent joke is the best.