OT And we call all of this English?

[Zeuk in Oz]

Aussies--enlighten us. What's the deal with your regional speech patterns?

As a "wog" migrant ( ) for whom English is his second language, may I add my 2c.

I think, Gayle, that there is much less variation between regions in Oz than you might imagine, with the noticeable exception that your older "bushie" ( bushman = stockman or farm worker ) might in some cases talk a little like the Sydney person on that site.

To my ears, the Perth and Brisbane accents on that site were very close to what I hear every day, and the Darwin accent not too far away. The Sydney accent is probably what we sounded like 80-100 years ago before the Kiwis affected our speech patterns.

As said, the speech patterns don't vary much across the country with the noticeable exception of the short vowel sound which has really become prominent over the past 20 years and is considered to have originated from NZ and Melbourne. Here in Sydney we used to say dance with a long vowel sound on the "a", but the shorter vowel sound on the "a", a more British or posh or cultured pronunciation, has now become popular.

Otherwise someone's vocabulary is more likely to give them away as to their origins.
For example :
A "suitcase" or bag for most Aussies is called a "port" in northern NSW and some parts of Queensland.
To give someone a lift on a pushbike is a "dink" everywhere except Sydney where it is a "double".
"Devon" is a popular processed sausage meat on school lunches almost everywhere except South Australia (especially Adelaide) where it is called "fritz" and I think it is called "belgium" in Tasmania.
In South Australia they have an unique name for what are called telegraph or power poles everywhere else : "stobie pole".
You can also give yourself away by whether you go swimming in "cossies", "swimmers", "togs" or "trunks".

Gayle, I would suggest that you take up the challenge as roving historian, archivist and international delegate and make the trip to Terrigal in June to hear us speak in person. We'll pick you up from the airport and put you up during your stay ! Should Paul or any of the other Kiwis show then that would give you a real comparison.

Serously though, perhaps we should all post recordings of us reading a prepared passage - that might really be a laugh !

It would be even funnier if we chose half a dozen languages and we had a go at all of them !

[rob101]

"Devon" is a popular processed sausage meat on school lunches

devon a popular processed sausage? not lately, at least not in the CBD in a deli i worked at when i was at uni, people were more likely to get mortadella than that crap.

don't forget queenslanders putting "ay?" on the ends of sentences. and you new south welshman calling a schooner a "middie" (glasses of beer for those who don't know)
there are also interesting things like my parents sometimes called lunch: dinner and dinner: tea as they do in parts of england.

[Zeuk in Oz]

devon a popular processed sausage? not lately, at least not in the CBD in a deli i worked at when i was at uni, people were more likely to get mortadella than that crap.

don't forget queenslanders putting "ay?" on the ends of sentences. and you new south welshman calling a schooner a "middie" (glasses of beer for those who don't know)
there are also interesting things like my parents sometimes called lunch: dinner and dinner: tea as they do in parts of england.

Didn't say I ever ate or liked devon - lol. For ages I always thought there was something wrong with me when I had danish salami or latvian liverwurst and gerkhin on my school lunches when everyone else had devon and tomato sauce. If ypou've seen the film "Wogboy", you will know what I mean !

A "middie" is smaller than a "schooner" but larger than a "seven".

I find that many country people have breakfast, dinner and tea while city people often have breakfast, lunch and dinner. Perhaps the origin of this is that many country people have their largest meal in the middle of the day.

[rob101]

Didn't say I ever ate or liked devon - lol. For ages I always thought there was something wrong with me when I had danish salami or latvian liverwurst and gerkhin on my school lunches when everyone else had devon and tomato sauce.

A "middie" is smaller than a "schooner" but larger than a "seven".

I find that many country people have breakfast, dinner and tea while city people often have breakfast, lunch and dinner. Perhaps the origin of this is that many country peolple have their largest meal in the middle of the day.

i don't really remember exactly because the last time i had a "middie" was after having 4hrs sleep and i think i had about 6 in one hour this was in a road trip from melbourne to sydney.... thats a really good way of getting out of driving.
wtf is a seven. isn't that a kind of lotus
yeah i think i missed the devon and tomato sauce of the 1970s lol.

edit: pot=middie
http://www.aussiepubs.com.au/talk/index.htm

[Zeuk in Oz]

yeah i think i missed the devon and tomato sauce of the 1970s lol.

Actually, in my case it was the sixties !

[rob101]

mate i love this forum always makes me feel young

[Nick.Hay]

Middie is a 10oz... We called them a 10oz at the club I worked in.




The smaller one is a 10oz... the other 2 are pints; 20oz.

[Nick.Hay]

Devon was always called 'german sausage' in my family home here in Tasmania... Not very accurate, considering its not made FROM Germans, nor is it from Germany!!

I used to wonder what people were on about calling it "Belgium"...


Now "port" for a suitcase... Thats just stupid!!!

Bogan, on the other hand... We ALL know what we mean then, so we can all laugh at them!!!