Tuesday, March 3, 2009

What'd ya say...???

If the strong Aussie brogue (burr?) isn’t enough to thwart a casual conversation, then the colloquial vocabulary will. Countrymen (and women) of Oz, (apparently ‘Aussie’ is too long for everyday speech,) use a shorter substitute for many everyday words.

City names are often shortened: Brisbane is called, Brisy; Cape Tribulation is replaced with Cape Trib; and some even call Port Douglas, Dougy. Any truck or SUV is a ‘ute,’ (long u: uuute) instead of utility vehicle. (There are several kinds of utes, the most popular, it seems, is the platform ute. It’s configured with a standard truck cab and an aluminum flatbed – above the level of the rear wheels so there are no wheel wells or bumps – with short, ten-inch sides. The most popular color; white!)


Traditional, boxy, rugged ute...


A sporty, crew-cab ute... (it would look better in white!)

Mozzies are mosquitoes, (available at your local campground in ample supply.) And breakfast time at Hungry Jack (which is Burger King is disguise – same logo, color scheme and menu... and, interestingly enough, the same number of letters in the name; doesn't that fit nicely on the sign... hmmm.) is displayed on the roadside billboard as: Brekky: 6:00 am. I’ve even seen the word ‘brekky’ on national brand breakfast cereals at the local IGA!

Another often used expression is, “No worries, Mate!” (Or, “No worries, Love!,” depending on the gender of the conversee (sp?).) Where, in conversation, one would reply in the affirmative, such as: “O.K.,” “Sure,” “Fine,” “Will do,” “I understand,” “Great,” “I get it,” “Perfect.”, etc., Aussies unanimously respond, “No Worries!”

After several weeks in Australia, I can better appreciate the challenge of language for an exchange student in a foreign country. However, if I don’t understand what an Aussie is saying to me, I simply smile, nod my head and say “No worries, Mate!”

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ha. That would explain this:

http://www.konaworld.com/09_ute_u.cfm

It makes perfect sense now...

Jeff said...

That's too funny, Em. That bike even looks like a Ute...(or should I say a "Hoot!") and it's made of aluminum!

New words of the day:
Genny (Genni?) is short for generator, and
Esky (Eski?) is short for any cooler (from Eskimo, I think.)

Love you, honey!!
DAD