The Australian National Dictionary explains that the Australian usages of mate derive from the British word 'mate' meaning 'a habitual companion, an associate, fellow, comrade; a fellow-worker or partner', and that in British English it is now only in working-class use.
Common in many parts of the UK and Australia, 'mate' is a friendly way to address a person informally.
Today, mate remains a favoured greeting among blokes in Australia, including those who might dust it off more in certain contexts, such as at football games.
So, 'mate' is British slang for a friend. But, like a lot of British slang, mate is a word that is used as much sarcastically as it is sincerely. You're just as likely to call someone 'mate' when they're your friend as when they're annoying you.
The Australian National Dictionary explains that the Australian usages of mate derive from the British word 'mate' meaning 'a habitual companion, an associate, fellow, comrade; a fellow-worker or partner', and that in British English it is now only in working-class use.
Mate is especially common in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and southern Brazil as well as in Syria and parts of Lebanon, where it was introduced from Argentina.
"Old mate" or "old matey" is a substitute for using the man's name. Interchangeable for "bloke", "guy" or "fella": I saw old mate about signing up for the footy team. Contributor's comments: Old mates are also commonly found in North Queensland. Contributor's comments: 'Old mate' is not gender restrictive.
Early European settlers to Australia — many of whom were convicts — were from all over Great Britain and Ireland, and their speech patterns blended to form the new Australian accent.
But in his new book Mateship: A Very Australian History, Dr Dyrenfurth traces the term back to the very first white Australians - the convicts. "The convicts brought with them from Britain the term mate, and they used it amongst themselves," he said.
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"Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi" is a cheer or chant often performed at Australian sport events. It is a variation of the Oggy Oggy Oggy chant used by both soccer and rugby union fans in Great Britain from the 1960s onwards. It is usually performed by a crowd uniting to support a sports team or athlete.
The most common verbal greeting is a simple “Hey”, “Hello”, or “Hi”. Some people may use Australian slang and say “G'day” or “G'day mate”. However, this is less common in cities. Many Australians greet by saying “Hey, how are you?”.
Bunji: Aboriginal English for mate. Eg. “How're you doing bunji?”
While some Australian speakers would pronounce “no” as a diphthong, starting on “oh” as in dog and ending on “oo” as in put, others begin with an unstressed “a” (the sound at the end of the word “sofa”), then move to the “oh” and then “oo”.
Australian stereotypical characters always use expressions like "Crikey!", "G'day, mate" and "Put another shrimp [sic] on the barbie." They are often represented as being unsophisticated and obsessed with beer and surfing, boomarangs and kangaroos. Australian men are often shown as being macho, misogynistic brutes.
Australian English arose from a dialectal melting pot created by the intermingling of early settlers who were from a variety of dialectal regions of Great Britain and Ireland, though its most significant influences were the dialects of Southeast England.
Australian English can be described as a new dialect that developed as a result of contact between people who spoke different, mutually intelligible, varieties of English. The very early form of Australian English would have been first spoken by the children of the colonists born into the early colony in Sydney.
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Australians more commonly refer to their girlfriends by the kind of generic slang you might hear elsewhere in the English speaking world, such as babe or sweetie. However, some specifically Australian examples of slang include the old classic “Sheila”, “missus” or just “love”.
The term "mate" is essentially gender neutral in Australia. This applies almost in all cases except perhaps if you're a male and bump into a woman who is 'generationally' older than you. In that case, just 'Sorry' or 'Excuse me' is fine.
Traditional IPA: ˈsɒriː 2 syllables: "SORR" + "ee"
It surely sounds strange to those who are familiar with American or British English, but it is a very common expression in Australia. G'day is a shortened form of 'Good Day' and it is the equivalent of 'Hello.
Oi /ɔɪ/ is an interjection used in various varieties of the English language, particularly Australian English, British English, Indian English, Irish English, New Zealand English, and South African English, as well as non-English languages such as Chinese, Tagalog, Tamil, Hindi/Urdu, Japanese, and Portuguese to get the ...
The phrase is often said as 'she'll be right mate', a term kiwis tend to say when they are talking to others, whether they are a mate or not. The mate just signifies a friendly conversation with someone, even if they haven't met them before. The phrase basically means everything will be ok.