In Australian English, diminutives are usually formed by taking the first part of a word, and adding an ending such as a, o, ie, or y. Sometimes, no ending is added. While the form of a diminutive is arbitrary, their use follows strict rules.
Not just Australians, anyone from the UK too. It's called the “intrusive r”. They say it makes it easier to blend 2 vowel sounds together, which I find odd. We North American English speakers learn how to put 2 vowel sounds together by the time we're 5.
Australians use abbreviations because they want to be more friendly. They do not want people to think that they are a snob (too good to talk to them). We sound more casual and friendlier when we use short words.
Aussie is used defensively by some Australians as a term of identification for people and as a nickname for the cultural group of Anglo-Celtic descent.
bloke – man or guy
A stereotype of a typical Australian man: loves beer, sport and barbies. It's similar to “chap”or “fella”.
The terms pommy, pommie, and pom used in Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand usually denote a British person.
McDonald's research found that 55 per cent of Australians called the company Macca's and they have submitted the word to the Macquarie Dictionary for consideration. It's an Australian habit to abbreviate names. So Barry becomes Bazza, Warren becomes Waz and anyone whose surname begins with Mc is likely to become Macca.
A good number of Australians hate it when people refer to the letter "h" as “haitch”. They hate it with a passion. While the “haitch” pronunciation is often linked to Irish Catholic education in times when Australian society was divided along sectarian lines, no research has conclusively established its true history.
5. Sheila = Girl. Yes, that is the Australian slang for girl.
Three main varieties of Australian English are spoken according to linguists: broad, general and cultivated. They are part of a continuum, reflecting variations in accent.
Zed is widely known to be used in British English. But it's also used in almost every English-speaking country. In England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Australia, India, Canada (usually), and New Zealand, Z is pronounced as zed.
Oi /ɔɪ/ is an interjection used in various varieties of the English language, particularly Australian English, British English, Irish English, New Zealand English, and South African English, as well as non-English languages such as Chinese, Hindi/Urdu, Japanese, and Portuguese to get the attention of another person or ...
Australian English spelling is pretty close to the British one as the following indicates. Australian and British people both spell words like colour and favour with “ou”. Centre and theatre use “re” spelling. It's also common to use double L spelling for words such as travelling and cancelled.
cocky. A small-scale farmer; (in later use often applied to) a substantial landowner or to the rural interest generally. In Australia there are a number of cockies including cow cockies, cane cockies and wheat cockies. Cocky arose in the 1870s and is an abbreviation of cockatoo farmer.
The shoe known in Australia as a “thong” is one of the oldest styles of footwear in the world. Worn with small variations across Egypt, Rome, Greece, sub-Saharan Africa, India, China, Korea, Japan and some Latin American cultures, the shoe was designed to protect the sole while keeping the top of the foot cool.
In Australia and New Zealand, "soft drink" or "fizzy drink" is typically used. In South African English, "cool drink" is any soft drink. U.S. soft drinks 7-Up or Sprite are called "lemonade" in the UK.
Tips for pronouncing and listening to Aussie Slang
It is common for Australian's to pronounce the –er at the end of a word as –a. For example, you may have heard Australians pronounce the word dinner as dinna. Keep this in mind when listening to Australians, especially the locals that have strong accents.
An Australian pub or hotel is a public house or pub for short, in Australia, and is an establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. They may also provide other services, such as entertainment, meals and basic accommodation.
G'day. One of the first things you'll hear when in Australia, is the classic “G'day, mate”, which is basically the same as saying, “good day”, or “hello”. So feel free to use this one from day 1 and watch the smiles around you as people respond with, “g'day mate”, which means “hello, friend”.
dunny – a toilet, the appliance or the room – especially one in a separate outside building. This word has the distinction of being the only word for a toilet which is not a euphemism of some kind. It is from the old English dunnykin: a container for dung. However Australians use the term toilet more often than dunny.