Aussies: their culture and language

There is a strong relationship between culture and language, so it'd be interesting to explore the Aussie slang in order to understand Aussie people and try to answer the question, suggested by Mrs C. kerr, an Aussie "chalkie" (=school teacher) we met during opne of our chats: "What does it mean to be Australian?". Every culture expresses itself and identifies with its own language, first. So the distinctiveness of the language comes from the life style and, in this case, from its unique environment and origins. Here you'll find some significant words related to culture, food, animals, open spaces: everything typical Australian!

Now, imagine we are in OZ (=Australia) and so let stalk true blue Strine (Let's talk real Australian slang/English)!
G'Day mates (good day/morning friends/buddy)! If you want to be a fair dinkum Aussie (genuine, real Australian), take a Captain Cook (= have a look) at Strine or, at least, have a go (=make an attempt)! Let's rage/party (=have fun in Australian children’s colloquial vernacular speech.)

Here is a quiz: do you know the meaning of these words and sentences?

1. Good tucker (=food) at the barbie (= barbecue). It was a beaut arvo (=lovely afternoon) and a grouse (good/great/terrific) party! Next time we'll go to a BYOG ( Bring Your Own Grog/ beer-spirits restaurant) or to a hotel (=pub), all together! Anyway, don't forget the esky (= portable ice-box) again at the footy (football, Australian rules)!

2. I like Vegemite, Pav(=Pavlova) and Anzac biscuits, but also Lamingtons and meat pie! (see the site about food)

3. Have you ever listened to a didgeridoo ( Aboriginal musical instrument, long, tubular, made from gum-trees/ eucalyptus) or a bushman's clock, sorry, I mean, the kookaburra (a bird)?

4. Yesterday I saw a thorny devil(=the small spiny lizard) near a spinifex (= spiny grasses in the Outback) and the day before there were some jumbucks (= sheeps) and a joey ( = a baby kangaroo) near that billabong (= waterhole).

5. Where do you live exactly? In a station (= a very large cattle or sheep farm), a dugout (= an underground home in Coober Pedy) or in the "Back o' Bourke" (= any remote, sparsely populated country area or in the suburbs)?

6. Look at the roobar ( roo= kangaroo; roobar= heavy metal bar across the front of a vehicle to rpevent damage if it strikes a roo) of that road train (=truck with two/three trailers for transporting lifestock across the outback)!

7. Excuse me, where is the thunderbox ( or a dunny) ( =both mean toilet) please?

Now guess what it means "troppo"? (= crazy, mad, insane)

Now you are ready to go walkabout (= Aborigine nomadic life, a period of solitary travel away from home, with no time limit and no particular aim in view) in OZ...and survive!! She'll be apples (= everything will be OK)! No worries (=no problem)! Ta (=thank you) and hooroo (=goodbye)!

See ya ron (= see you later on)
'ava good weend! (= have a good weekend)

TTFN (= Ta ta for now...bye for now)

Visit this site if you also want to listen to the Aussie accent:
http://www.australia-online.com/dictionaussie.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/28994/auswords.html

Australians now: work, sport and leisure...
http://www.ozramp.net.au/~senani/people.htm

The first Australians:
http://www.ozramp.net.au/~senani/aborigin.htm

Commemorative Days:
Centenary of Federation/ Australia Day/ ANZAC Day/ Remebrance Day
http://www.australianaustralia.com/commemorative.html

Sport:
http://www.australianaustralia.com/sport.html

Food:
http://www.artistwd.com/joyzine/australia/recipes/