Aussie Readers discussion

Aloha from Maui,
I am interested in cultural language drift, especially the differences between British English, North American English, and Australian English. I can't hear the difference between Canadian English and US English, but I can hear British English and Australian English. I have relatives living in Brisbane. Their children grew up in Perth, and they still have the Aussie accent, even after having lived in the US for some years. Here are my questions for Aussies.

1) Can you hear the difference between Canadian English and US English?

2) Can you give me some examples of slang differences between North American, British, and Aussie. For example the word "cool" is common in North American.

3) When you read a book, can you tell which part of the English speaking world the author is from?

3) Is there a noticeable difference between Australian speech and New Zealand speech? Do you know immediately when you meet someone from New Zealand by the way they speak?

4) And for the science fiction fans; suppose Mars was colonized exclusively by English speaking people. How much time would pass before there was "Martian English?"

1. yes, most of the time
2. would have to think about that
3 yes, immediately, it's in the vowels, like with Canadian & US
4. guessing between 20 and 50 years?? but maybe much sooner....
I should say, with Canadian & US, not just the vowels but also the way they talk and some of the expressions and slang, not that I can think of any just now
and you haven't mentioned South African English, which is also easily recognised.

I'm stunned that YOU can't hear the diff b/w American & Canadian though!
Once I'd been to Canada it stood out for me after just a short time listening to someone.
I can't tell the diff between Australian English from different states, though some say they can....

Marianne wrote: "I'm stunned that YOU can't hear the diff b/w American & Canadian though!
Once I'd been to Canada it stood out for me after just a short time listening to someone.
I can't tell the diff between Aus..."

I was in Vancouver last year, and I could not hear the difference. I first noticed this when the Olympics were in Vancouver and a lot of Canadian television stars appeared to promote Canada. I was amazed that so many stars, I knew of, were Canadian. I call this language, North American television English.

Listen to a Canadian saying "about"

1) Can you hear the difference between Canadian English and US English? Yes - but mostly after having been to Canada and having some Canadian friends.

2) Can you give me some examples of slang differences between North American, British, and Aussie. For example the word "cool" is common in North American. Well, there's always the word "thong" which in Australia is worn on the foot...

3) When you read a book, can you tell which part of the English speaking world the author is from? Yes, the spelling often tells me, and if not the spelling, the colloquialisms.

3) Is there a noticeable difference between Australian speech and New Zealand speech? Do you know immediately when you meet someone from New Zealand by the way they speak? Absolutely - am also married to an ex-Kiwi. It is most definitely the vowels. You can always use the "fish ands chips" test.

4) And for the science fiction fans; suppose Mars was colonized exclusively by English speaking people. How much time would pass before there was "Martian English?" Good question, but I suspect that the colloquialisms would begin to change immediately and the accents would follow.

Leonie wrote: "1) Can you hear the difference between Canadian English and US English? Yes - but mostly after having been to Canada and having some Canadian friends.

2) Can you give me some examples of slang dif..."

"Fish and chips test" huh? That's interesting. Very few people in Hawaii would use the word "thong" to mean something worn on the foot. We use "slipper." On the US mainland it is "flip-flop."

Can't distinguish Canadian from nth American as not enough exposure to Canadian accent.

Australian slang words that come to mind:
Cuppa for cup of tea
Arvo for afternoon
Bikkie for biscuit

Australian teenagers using a lot of American words now though. Cool, awesome, bro etc.

Can quickly pick the location in a book from the language. Eg the use of "mum" will mean it's not nth American. Also in Australia and Great Britain we say "a couple of people" whereas Nth Americans leave off the "of" and just say "a couple people". They are the giveaways for me.

Definitely the fush and chups test for Kiwis.

Interesting question about Mars. Maybe 10-20 years?

Stan wrote: "Leonie wrote: "1) Can you hear the difference between Canadian English and US English? Yes - but mostly after having been to Canada and having some Canadian friends.

2) Can you give me some exampl..."

Yes, a New Zealander would pronounce it "Fush and chups" to an Australian ear, and pronounce "have" as "hev", and you can only imagine what happens to the number six.

A Kiwi would refer to thongs/flip-flops as "jandals" and an esky as a "chilli bin." (Or "chullibun" to our ears.) I think the US refers to those as "ice boxes." Over here, slippers are things you wear with your pyjamas (PJ's/jammys - pronounced "jarmys") and dressing gown.

And chips in Australia come in a bucket or wrapped up in paper, and are large thick fries while in NZ they come in a "pottle."

Am I confusing you yet? ;)

Valerie wrote: "Can't distinguish Canadian from nth American as not enough exposure to Canadian accent.

Australian slang words that come to mind:
Cuppa for cup of tea
Arvo for afternoon
Bikkie for biscuit

Austr..."

And the missing "and" in numbers - we'd say one hundred and one, while in a North American book, you'd read one hundred one.

Interesting topic. I've noticed that sometimes I have to explain myself when chatting to North American Goodreaders.

The funniest difference is a word between OZ/Uk and US/Canada is the difference in the word (view spoiler)[ fanny (hide spoiler)]. Very different meanings...

Leonie wrote: "Valerie wrote: "Can't distinguish Canadian from nth American as not enough exposure to Canadian accent.

Australian slang words that come to mind:
Cuppa for cup of tea
Arvo for afternoon
Bikkie fo..."

My educator wife always frowns when I use the word "and" after hundred.

Just out of interest I come from South Australia but have lived in New South Wales for 18 years and I still get asked if I'm from New Zealand. Even within Australia there are different regional accents. Try asking someone from Sydney to say the word 'school'.

Tango wrote: "Just out of interest I come from South Australia but have lived in New South Wales for 18 years and I still get asked if I'm from New Zealand. Even within Australia there are different regional acc..."

I'm originally from WA, and am married to an ex-kiwi, and have now lived in NSW for eleven years. The first year here, our kids spent half the time giggling about the different words for things. Drink fountain/bubbler, polony/devon, fruit box/popper, and there are quite a few different phrases used in different places, not to mention the accents.

Leonie wrote: "Tango wrote: "Just out of interest I come from South Australia but have lived in New South Wales for 18 years and I still get asked if I'm from New Zealand. Even within Australia there are differen..."

What the heck is polony/devon?

Stan wrote: "Leonie wrote: "Tango wrote: "Just out of interest I come from South Australia but have lived in New South Wales for 18 years and I still get asked if I'm from New Zealand. Even within Australia the...What the heck is polony/devon?.. "

Processed meat:) You slice it to have in a sandwich.

Don't forget suitcase/port; and bathers(SA)/swimmers(NSW, Q'LD) also vacation/holiday

There is also the spelling which shows the difference between US and AU - favorites/favourites - mom/mum (Valerie mentioned) - many others which I can't think of the top of my head at the moment:)

Would this be close?

So she stuck her thong in her port, put it in my boot, and we went on holiday. While I was driving to Christchurch she ate a devon sandwich and drank a popper.

I don't know if they have devon in NZ Stan, but if you're talking about "thong" as something worn on the feet, you need to say "thongs", otherwise it'll be ladies underwear;) I would also say suitcase...

Stan wrote: "Would this be close?

So she stuck her thong in her port, put it in my boot, and we went on holiday. While I was driving to Christchurch she ate a devon sandwich and drank a popper."

Well, it does sound as if you come from several different states....

It's bathers in WA too, by the way. I think some Queenslanders call them togs, though.

You might be better saying "She packed her thongs in her suitcase, and I put it in the boot. It was looking like a good holiday. On the way to Sydney, she ate the devon sandwich and sucked loudly on her popper."

And now it sounds like a dreadful B grade movie...

If you were driving to Christchurch you would be wearing jandals rather than thongs and if your car was small it would be wee. If in SA, however, devon is fritz and there is a special fritz called bung fritz with an orange skin around it.

Tango wrote: "If you were driving to Christchurch you would be wearing jandals rather than thongs and if your car was small it would be wee. If in SA, however, devon is fritz and there is a special fritz called ..."

And it is soooo delicious! And so much better than devon!

1. yes, mostly, not if they have been living in the US for a while though. It is in the vowel pronunciation.
2. Sadly a lot of US slang is becoming common speech in Australia and a lot of okerism is fading.
3. Yes if they mention mom instead of mum, check book instead of cheque book and that just touches the surface
3. yes, immediately, and can fairly reliably pick if they're from the North or the South Island
4. Not sure, I would say two generations. The pioneers would use their own languages, but their children would absorb all the different languages and gradually unify it to one language that has a bit of everything and then their own words for the new environment. The children's children would have virtually no knowledge of the original languages of their grandparents and would use the universal one as a preference.

Leonie wrote: "You might be better saying "She packed her thongs in her suitcase, and I put it in the boot. It was looking like a good holiday. On the way to Sydney, she ate the devon sandwich and sucked loudly o..."

This is good. I would definitely enjoy seeing more of her thongs.

More US/Aus
cell phone/mobile, sidewalk/footpath, gray/grey, tire/tyre, drugstore/pharmacy, windshield/windscreen, gas/petrol, ass/arse, pissed with/pissed off with, wop/wog

Okay, I am knew to all this and will admit I still have my training wheels on, so feel free to point me in the right direction if this is not where I should make my post. Is it just me or am I the only person who feels crude swear words are used far too much in books and life today, is it really necessary to get one's point across, perhaps I am a fool for voicing my opinion, but for me personally, I find it a turn off! Yes I love a good thriller, action, mystery, suspense. I am a fan of Sherlock Holmes, I love a good who-done-it, but why are the crude words becoming more prevalent, what happened to describing that feeling, why is it all now contained in a single 'word' is it lazy, or am I behind the times, lost in the books of the past and need to catch up and fit in with what is now the norm, or have we become complacent and just go with the flow?

Marianne wrote: "More US/Aus
cell phone/mobile, sidewalk/footpath, gray/grey, tire/tyre, drugstore/pharmacy, windshield/wondscreen, gas/petrol, ass/arse, pissed with/pissed off with, wop/wog"

On our recent trip to Canada and the US, we always got the giggles when we saw a drugstore advertised. Just sounds wrong...

Jenni wrote: "Okay, I am knew to all this and will admit I still have my training wheels on, so feel free to point me in the right direction if this is not where I should make my post. Is it just me or am I the ..."

I'm pretty sure we all agree with you Jenni, but this thread is about the comparisons between different countries and their different meanings, spellings etc. So no, probably not appropriate for your post in this thread. You could probably put it in the general chat thread if you wish to generate discussion though:)

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

In the US a pharmacy is where we go to pick up medications that are regulated. Drugstores have unregulated medicines. So pharmacies were often located in drugstores, but that began changing after Walmart came into being. There are still chains like Longs, Rexall, and Thrifty that are known as drugstores.

Stan wrote: "In the US a pharmacy is where we go to pick up medications that are regulated. Drugstores have unregulated medicines. So pharmacies were often located in drugstores, but that began changing after..."

and here they are still combined and are called pharmacies. We don't have drugstores, but what is sold in them looks like pharmacy to us.
re the Mars question, my hubby said that it would depend on whether the people colonising all came from one English speaking area, or from more diverse areas. If the former, then no Mars English, as in Norfolk Island where the settlers were all from one area of England and the locals speak with 18th Cent English pronunciation, he says. Not sure I agree entirely.
As for the states of Aus, yes the different words like suitcase or port etc, but I wonder if you asked a person from each state to read a set passage, is any difference in pronunciation noticeable, as it would be if you asked Aussies, New Zealanders, Canadians, South Africans, Americans to read it?
Interesting post, Stan

Marianne wrote: "Stan wrote: "In the US a pharmacy is where we go to pick up medications that are regulated. Drugstores have unregulated medicines. So pharmacies were often located in drugstores, but that began c..."

This has so informative. I'm definitely adding a New Zealander in one of my books. Aussies is for an Australian. Any short word for a New Zealander?

Stan wrote: "Marianne wrote: "Stan wrote: "In the US a pharmacy is where we go to pick up medications that are regulated. Drugstores have unregulated medicines. So pharmacies were often located in drugstores,..."

kiwis

Marianne wrote: "Stan wrote: "Marianne wrote: "Stan wrote: "In the US a pharmacy is where we go to pick up medications that are regulated. Drugstores have unregulated medicines. So pharmacies were often located i..."

Oh, that's right. Darned old memory.

Stan wrote: I was in Vancouver last year, and I could not hear the difference. I first noticed this when the Olympics were in Vancouver and a lot of Canadian television stars appeared to promote Canada. I was amazed that so many stars, I knew of, were Canadian. I call this language, North American television English.

I usually can't tell the difference either. I think it depends. Sometimes I can hear a strong accent that I suppose is Canadian, though it also sounds like it could come from the north part of the US.

I have a question pertaining to my current project.

Would an Australian say "We're going to braid each other's hair" or would they say "we're going to plait each other's hair?"

I'm very confused about all that.

Thanks for any help you can give me!

Michael wrote: "Hey Dina i would say braid as i have never heard anyone here saying plait."

Great! Thank you! I really appreciate it.

Michael wrote: "Hey Dina i would say braid as i have never heard anyone here saying plait."

But as a girl, I often wore plaits to go to school (to satisfy the nuns of my hair being tied back).

I would use the word braid in a craft context, but plait for talking about hair.

To me plaiting and braiding are two different things. A plait would start at ear level and hang down. A braid would start right against the scalp. But I grew up in England, moved to South Africa and then came to Australia so I never know when I am speaking English English, South African English or Aussie English.

Phrynne wrote: "To me plaiting and braiding are two different things. A plait would start at ear level and hang down. A braid would start right against the scalp. But I grew up in England, moved to South Africa an..."

Which was the most difficult move based on the need to learn local words?

Phrynne wrote: "To me plaiting and braiding are two different things. A plait would start at ear level and hang down. A braid would start right against the scalp. But I grew up in England, moved to South Africa an..."

I imagine that would be confusing!

Here...the thing that starts at the scalp is called "French braid". The other's just called braid.

What about as a verb though. Would you plait a plait, or braid a plait?

Stan - Maybe SA because they include words from Afrikaans in their English as well.
Dina - As a verb I would plait your hair or braid your hair or I might even put braids in your hair! But I wouldn't put plaits in your hair. Don't you love English:)

Dina wrote: "I have a question pertaining to my current project.

Would an Australian say "We're going to braid each other's hair" or would they say "we're going to plait each other's hair?"

I'm very confused ..."

Plait is a very old fashioned word - I used to plait my daughter's hair when she went to school (she's almost 30 now) but now my granddaughters have their hair braided:)

Thanks so much to all of you for your help!

I wore plaits to school and once I was old enough, I plaited my own hair. Would not have known what a braid was 50 years ago. A few years later, I would have thought it was the fancy edging on a military uniform.

Dina wrote: "I have a question pertaining to my current project.

Would an Australian say "We're going to braid each other's hair" or would they say "we're going to plait each other's hair?"

I'm very confused ..."

I suspect it depends on your generation, Dina. I'm a bit like Phrynne in thinking that a plait begins with a hank of hair near your ear, or comes from the top of your head like a pony tail, but is not necessarily always thick, and a braid begins at your scalp. I'm 48 if that helps.

I always think of a plait as a simple basic weave of three chunks of hair hanging down the side of your head, and braiding is more complex, starting at the scalp. I'm born in the 60's and had only heard of braiding in the 80's.

Dina wrote: "I have a question pertaining to my current project.

Would an Australian say "We're going to braid each other's hair" or would they say "we're going to plait each other's hair?"

I'm very confused ..."

I always use to plait my hair and I plaited my daughters hair. I always though braid was an American term.

Phrynne wrote: "To me plaiting and braiding are two different things. A plait would start at ear level and hang down. A braid would start right against the scalp. But I grew up in England, moved to South Africa and then came to Australia so I never know when I am speaking English English, South African English or Aussie English..."

LOL - same here, but was West Africa for me and they had their own version of English as well :)

Hi Sally, Dina et al,
I am an Aussie who lived in the USA for 30 years. When I grew up in Australia my sister used to plait her hair, as did all little girls here. When I moved to the USA and raised a daughter there, I used to braid her hair, as did other mothers with their daughters over there.I am now back Down Under and am now braiding my grand daughters hair, but that is only from the habit of saying braid for so long. Down here they still plait.