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Subtle differences: There are so very many subtle differences between AU and US languages. We were in a bakery ordering some bread and I didn’t see any multi-grain bread. I didn’t think that was a US invention, but they distinctly didn’t have it. They, however, did have a few varieties with which I was unfamiliar. Apparently multi-grain is country grain, but it seems a less hearty blend than in the US. I’m used to my multi-grain being a robust, dark, peasant bread, but here it is just whole wheat with some oats thrown in.
A rather disconcerting vocabulary difference I’ve found is the absence of the word “plan.” I believe a good solid definition of the word plan would be a concise, well-mapped out series of steps to achieve a goal. So, if I wanted to buy healthcare, I would pick the “plan” that best suited my needs. I would also pick the best pharmaceutical drug “plan” for me as well as relying upon the government to develop the proper “plans” for road rules, federal banking policies, etc. In AU, they don’t have “plans.“ They develop a “scheme.” I find this disturbing. I think of a scheme as a concise, well-mapped out series of steps organized by a minority who would like to perform some underhanded, less than legal crime against you. I would scheme to get more money out of you in a transaction. I would develop a scheme to make you look like a fool at a family reunion… that type of thing. Here, the government (otherwise known as ministers and councils) develop schemes for the public in all areas. On some cellular level, I’m rather disturbed by this phrasing. Or perhaps, the Australians are actually that much closer to the truth. They are frankly admitting that they are plotting against us and that we had just better watch our collective steps.
Everything is spelled slightly differently as well. As a small child, I read a lot of British novels and was exposed to Imperial spelling. I would then go to school and proceed to fail my spelling tests for the subtle differences in words like “color” and “colour.” I still have these problems of vacillating between British and American spellings and can never seem to sort it out in my head. Now that I’m in Australia, land of the tyre, and the centre, I am now able to misspell words in two countries. Yeah me!
We went to the store to buy underwear for George and the measurements were in metric. We had to ask for a tape measure. Oh, and in my limited experience, I don’t see any tighty whities here. No Fruit of the Loom.
Trees are different here. I’m so used to the northern hemisphere with its maples, oaks and pines. The trees are so unfamiliar. I need to make friends with these new species for I do not know them by name yet. They are pretty and exotic, but I know them not. I have been looking for one of those Audobon type tree books that you look up the leaf shape and they tell you what pages to look at to determine what tree it is, but I can’t find one. I don’t think they have that type of identification book.
The birds here are different as well. I don’t really see them, but I hear their songs every day. The melodies and tunes are so different from crows, robins, sparrows, pigeons and seagulls. Even changing from the East to the West Coast of the US didn’t change the trees and birds much. This is like a whole new planet. At least the seagulls and pigeons are the same. There are some constants in the world.
Abbreviations: I’ve noticed that abbreviations and nicknames are done differently here. Where I was raised, we called mosquitoes “skeeters.” Here, they call them “mozzies.” I call mushrooms “shrooms.” They call them “mushies.” Australians seem to take the first part of any given word, add “ies” and use that for their abbreviation. Then again, this runs rampant in Australia. For almost any given word, you take the first syllable, add “ies” to cutsify it and you have the nickname. A tin of beer is a tinnie. A fire-person is a firey. Sunglasses are sunnies. I could go on until it makes you want to vomit, but you get the picture.
Belinda and I were talking about this and she said it was a waste of breath to say the whole word. I challenged this with another Australian custom I’ve observed, a phenomenon I call “squaring.” When an Australian is ready to leave, they say, “Let’s go! Let’s go! Are we ready? Are we ready?” Squaring. This phenomenon even shows up in the names of places like Wagga Wagga. I suspect it might be a tad worse in this house because of the Chinese influence. Because their language is tonal, they tend to add emphasis by repeating rather than inflection. If I tried to add emphasis through inflection, I’d change the meaning of the word.
Lots more to come. Stay tuned.
A rather disconcerting vocabulary difference I’ve found is the absence of the word “plan.” I believe a good solid definition of the word plan would be a concise, well-mapped out series of steps to achieve a goal. So, if I wanted to buy healthcare, I would pick the “plan” that best suited my needs. I would also pick the best pharmaceutical drug “plan” for me as well as relying upon the government to develop the proper “plans” for road rules, federal banking policies, etc. In AU, they don’t have “plans.“ They develop a “scheme.” I find this disturbing. I think of a scheme as a concise, well-mapped out series of steps organized by a minority who would like to perform some underhanded, less than legal crime against you. I would scheme to get more money out of you in a transaction. I would develop a scheme to make you look like a fool at a family reunion… that type of thing. Here, the government (otherwise known as ministers and councils) develop schemes for the public in all areas. On some cellular level, I’m rather disturbed by this phrasing. Or perhaps, the Australians are actually that much closer to the truth. They are frankly admitting that they are plotting against us and that we had just better watch our collective steps.
Everything is spelled slightly differently as well. As a small child, I read a lot of British novels and was exposed to Imperial spelling. I would then go to school and proceed to fail my spelling tests for the subtle differences in words like “color” and “colour.” I still have these problems of vacillating between British and American spellings and can never seem to sort it out in my head. Now that I’m in Australia, land of the tyre, and the centre, I am now able to misspell words in two countries. Yeah me!
We went to the store to buy underwear for George and the measurements were in metric. We had to ask for a tape measure. Oh, and in my limited experience, I don’t see any tighty whities here. No Fruit of the Loom.
Trees are different here. I’m so used to the northern hemisphere with its maples, oaks and pines. The trees are so unfamiliar. I need to make friends with these new species for I do not know them by name yet. They are pretty and exotic, but I know them not. I have been looking for one of those Audobon type tree books that you look up the leaf shape and they tell you what pages to look at to determine what tree it is, but I can’t find one. I don’t think they have that type of identification book.
The birds here are different as well. I don’t really see them, but I hear their songs every day. The melodies and tunes are so different from crows, robins, sparrows, pigeons and seagulls. Even changing from the East to the West Coast of the US didn’t change the trees and birds much. This is like a whole new planet. At least the seagulls and pigeons are the same. There are some constants in the world.
Abbreviations: I’ve noticed that abbreviations and nicknames are done differently here. Where I was raised, we called mosquitoes “skeeters.” Here, they call them “mozzies.” I call mushrooms “shrooms.” They call them “mushies.” Australians seem to take the first part of any given word, add “ies” and use that for their abbreviation. Then again, this runs rampant in Australia. For almost any given word, you take the first syllable, add “ies” to cutsify it and you have the nickname. A tin of beer is a tinnie. A fire-person is a firey. Sunglasses are sunnies. I could go on until it makes you want to vomit, but you get the picture.
Belinda and I were talking about this and she said it was a waste of breath to say the whole word. I challenged this with another Australian custom I’ve observed, a phenomenon I call “squaring.” When an Australian is ready to leave, they say, “Let’s go! Let’s go! Are we ready? Are we ready?” Squaring. This phenomenon even shows up in the names of places like Wagga Wagga. I suspect it might be a tad worse in this house because of the Chinese influence. Because their language is tonal, they tend to add emphasis by repeating rather than inflection. If I tried to add emphasis through inflection, I’d change the meaning of the word.
Lots more to come. Stay tuned.
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