I'm lost during watching English channels!

Boy   Friday, October 03, 2003, 09:37 GMT
<<I never did, so fuck you.>>

Accept my apologies If I wrote your name by mistake. Anyway, someone wrote something like that right here on this forum otherwise I'd never mention like that. It was stick to my mind.

I hope you don't say 'fuck' to your students If they're arguing over Arabic lessons. A very stern teacher, indeed.
davidwjg   Friday, October 03, 2003, 16:28 GMT
hello
Jamie On   Friday, October 03, 2003, 21:45 GMT
lol Boy, I'm sorry - I was in a really bad mood when I wrote that, no need to apologise... I guess they were American, I think George Bush didn't know that "Paki" was an offensive word, someone had to tell him the proper word was "Pakistani" so it just shows... :- ) So far I haven't had any students, need to put out more ads.

--Khuda haafiz.
Boy   Saturday, October 04, 2003, 04:19 GMT
There was too much controversy going on word 'paki'. It is considered to be an offensive word in Britain. But normally every Pakistani is using it so frequently which is derived from first 4 letters of Pakistan. It was orginally appeared in an Aussie newspaper. Most people think Aussie use alot of abbreviations and short forms. I'm extremely confused about the term.

"Pak" is also an urdu word which means 'neat and clean'. People also use that word in this sense.

I knew that Bush used that word. Only God knows in which sense he used that word.
Rugger   Saturday, October 04, 2003, 05:09 GMT
Boy, it's true that Aussies shorten so many words. I only realise how often I use abbreviaitons in everday talk when I have conversations with non-Aussies, who find that they don't understand what I'm saying becuase I've slipped in common Aussie abbreviations that are unique to the them.

Here are some examples:

Barbie – An example of the Australian fondness for shortening words and adding suffix – ie. (sometimes-y). Some particular favourites:
- brekkie/ brekky = breakfast
- chockie = choclate
- bickie = biscuite ("do you want a chockie bickie")
- brickie = brickman
- cozzie = bathing costume
- sickie = taking time off work due to sickness
- gladdie (the gladiolus well published satirist Barry Humphries alter ego Dame Edna Everedge)
- lippy = lipstick
- rellies = relatives
- postie = postman
- Prezzie = present
- Mozzie = mosquito
- Pokies = poker machines
- Sunnies = sunglasses
- Taz or Tassie – Tasmania
- vegies = vegetables
- Aussie = Australian

Garbo – a garbage removalist. Another example of the Aussie penchant for abbreviated words, the suffix – o being just about as popular as – ie. (see barbie). Some common examples include compo (compensation); kero (kerosene); lezzo (lesbian); muso (musician); refo( refugee); rego (registration); and salvos (Salvation Army)

Bizzo – Business ("mind your own bizzo mate!")
arvo - afternoon ("good arvo")

Cuppa - cup of tea


Note that these are but a few examples. No wonder other native English speakers find Aus English to be often alien and incomprehensible. :-)
Bayou Rover   Saturday, October 04, 2003, 06:41 GMT
I always loved the -o suffix. Like in yummo, neato, righto and goodo.
Other words like:

Pollie: politician
Aggro: aggressive
Gerrie: geriatric
Gyno: gynocologist
U-ie: U-turn
Ute: a utility van
Truckie: truck driver
Alchie: alcoholic
Blowie: blowfly
Postie: postman
Brekky: breakfast
Metho: mentholated spirits
Brickie: bricklayer
Brissie: Brisbane
Cabbie: a taxi driver
Pokies: poker machines
Chrissie: Christmas
Commie: Communist
Derro: derelict
Sandgroper: Western Australian

BTW Rugger, about words like goog for egg and hooroo for goodbye; someone once told me it is not widely used and probably used in Tasmania only, what do you think about this?

Australian English is so colorful but only once you understand what is going on.
Boy   Saturday, October 04, 2003, 08:02 GMT
Yeppie. Aussie English is so colorful. :-)

- I found these words very interesting. I'm very anxious to use them in my emails.

sickie, lippy, rellies, bickie, chockie, brekky, sunnies, Bizo, Truckie and Cabbie.




P.S: I'm gonna have a nice walky with my oldie-goldie folkies. Si ya L.

Oh boy, you just got an Aussie virus in your head. :-)
Jamie On   Saturday, October 04, 2003, 11:20 GMT
Yes, well Paki is definately offensive here, especially if it's used against an Indian, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi... (i.e. not actually Pakistani) and I was aware of the true meaning of Hindi / Urdu "pak" (= saaf, = pure)... I'm sure Bush's mistake was honest but it's still funny - his knowledge of the world outside USA is laughable - he couldn't name Musharaf when he was asked, he said "I just call him the General" :- )

Some people say "Paki" meaning the language of Pakistan but it is not clear if they mean Urdu or Panjabi etc. and also "Paki-shop" (corner shop) and that's not really offensive, but at the moment it seems most of them (in London) are owned by Gujaratis so that's also a misnomer!
Rugger   Sunday, October 05, 2003, 00:27 GMT
Bayou Rover, I've never heard of goog for egg, so it might be a word common to country/rural (outback) Australia. I have heard people say Hooroo (pronounced 'ooroo) for goodbye/see you later, but you'r right in that it's not widely used. Generally it's women I've heard saying Hooroo, mostly from the country. It's possible that Tasmanians use this words more readily given that they are so isolated from the rest of Australia.

The "Paki" term is used in Australia, but generally not in an offensive way. I notice it used mainly in cricket, since Aussies have "nick-names" for the cricket sides - eg. Pakistan = Pakies, England = Pommies, West Indies = Windies.

People's first/last names are also shortened with the "ie","o" or "zza"/"z" suffix added:
-Angela becomes Angie.
-Agatha becomes Aggie.
-Elizabeth becomes Lizzie
-Burgess becomes Burgo
-Johnathon becomes Johnno
-Marion become Mazza or Maz
-Sharon become Shazza or Shaz
-Warwick becomes Wozza or Woz
-Barry becomes Bazza or Baz.
-Garry becomes Gazza or Gaz.
-Karen becomes Kazza or Kaz.

eg. "Here are my mates Hazza, Muzza and Bazza, and my sister Shazza!" :-)
Boy   Sunday, October 05, 2003, 03:20 GMT
Rugger

Wow, Aussie English is cool. It was interesting to read those names. They completely changed the entirety of original words. Do you have any shorten words for house-hold appliances?


Jamie on

It was strange to see that he could not pronounce someone's name properly. According to my info, he held a bachelor degree from Harvard Uni.

"Mustanser-Hussain-tarar" -- This name is the hardest one to pronounce for native kids. :-) I'm sure Bush will pronounce the middle name only.

Do you know Urdu? Saaf was the right word for Pak.
Ryan   Sunday, October 05, 2003, 03:49 GMT
I always thought adding the sound "ee" to the end of every word like "footy" sounded too "cutesy." It certainly doesn't add to the image of Australians being tough blokes who can down a can of Foster's in one gulp.

Ryan
Rugger   Sunday, October 05, 2003, 06:09 GMT
Aussies are generally a laid-back people and are lazy when it comes to pronouncing words fully. We can't be bothered saying "foot ball" and so shorten it to "footy". I now say "Maccas" when I want to eat at MacDonalds, simply because it rolls of my tongue quicker.

Boy, I can't think of many shortened words of house-hold appliances except telly for television (also known as the "idiot box"). However, we do use different words for these appliances compared to Americans and British, eg. doona = duvet, esky = cooler, Manchester = linens.
Jamie On   Sunday, October 05, 2003, 12:23 GMT
Speak Hindi, but I actually started off learning Urdu. I find Hindi a lot easier to read - it's almost totally phonetic so you can learn words quicker - Urdu can be on my to-do list.
Jamie On   Sunday, October 05, 2003, 12:26 GMT
Actually, Boy, we get Vectone Urdu TV and I quite like the Urdu songs - do you like Shahzad Roy?