For full version with pictures and photos, please click the following link:-
http://cuqldfreeblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/taste-of-fair-dinkum-aussie-life-2.html
It has been a while since my last post on the captioned subject. As an immigrant to this great country of the DOWN UNDER, it would be a pity if we don’t spend some time and effort to make a better taste of its life style.
Addressing: Name, surname, with or without title.
Aussie is laid back and care free, same as the way they address people. First name is always the preference. They even would like to reduce it to one syllable short form. For instant, Colin to Col, Robert to Rob or Bob, Roderick to Rod and Matthew to Matt. For girl, Elizabeth to Liz or Beth, Margaret to Meg or Marg and Catherine to Cat or Cate.
As for the name of Australia, it is pronounced Ozstralia, so Oz or Ozzie for short. Also AUS is the short code for Australia, hence Australian becomes Aussie. The noun Oz is also used to refer to an unreal, magical place, and this usage had its origins in the fantasy novel The wonderful world of Oz written in 1900 by L Frank Baum.
If address with Title, still the first name is used. For me, I am addressed as Pastor Hung, not Pastor Kwan. I learnt it the first time when my prayer supporter introduced me As Pastor Hung to his congregation of an Aborigine Church. I first thought he might have messed up with my first and last name, but eventually learnt that this is the Aussie way.
The proliferation of use of abbreviations.
It was one of the largest initial barriers for migrants, especially non native speakers of English, to follow a fast-paced conversation: The clever use of abbreviations. Here below are the rules and some frequently used abbreviated terms: -
“a”
Chop off the last half of a word and replace it with “a”, and you’ve got the basics. Here are a few examples:
Cuppa = cup of tea or coffeeMacka = Mackenzie
Maccas = McDonalds (although you will also hear it pronounced as Mackers)“
“er”
This follows the same principle as above (which is the basic principle of abbreviations!). The sticky part is that it can be tough to differentiate between an Australian saying “a” and “er”, so there may well be some leeway between this category and the “a” one.
Chuckers = nun chucks
Mackers = McDonalds
Sanger = sandwich (yup – I had trouble making the leap from sandwich to sanger the first time myself)
“ie” or “y”
This one of the more common forms of Australian abbreviation as I can tell, with some very popular words in the repertoire, such as:Aussie = Australian
Barbie = barbeque
Bikkie = biscuit/cracker/cookie (yes, all three)
Brissie = Brisbane
Footy = football
Greenie = environmentally friendly person
Linnie/Lindie = Linda
Mozzie = mosquito
Tradie = tradesman
Uni = university (it’s not an “ie” or “y” abbreviation, but it’s close)
“o”
Arvo = afternoon (I’m not sure where the “r” came from)
Avo = avocado (not to be confused with arvo/afternoon, which I’ve done frequently – it gets messy)
Bizzo = business
Bottle-O = bottle shop / liquor store
Doco = documentary
Johnno = John
Journo = journalist
Smoko = smoke break. This is a common expression for tea break. I learnt it when I worked as a volunteer for an Aussie Volunteer Building group MMM (Mobile Mission Maintenance) who came to help out major re-construction work for the Bible College I was attending. . When it was time for morning tea and afternoon tea, they would yell “Smoko time!” instead. For the labour class, the tea break is also a time for smoking. But nowadays, even for an all non-smoker group, they still refer tea break as smoko time.
“za”
This, I’ve only recently tuned in to hearing and identifying the roots of, so examples from my vocabulary are slim.
Sharon = Shazza (which also happens to be a descriptive term for a woman who is basically trailer trash – I pity the girl named Sharon.
Many of these abbreviations are not specific to any particular generation or class of individual; instead they are commonly used terms in Australian dialogue, on television (not that television is the be-all and end-all of culture, but it’s even on the news), and even in writing.
Home Visit:
Visiting a local Aussie home is an important opportunity to learn about their culture and life style.
1. Kiss, Hug or shake hand
On meeting someone for the first time, we would normally shake hands, or even just smile at each other. If it’s a friend or casual acquaintance, we would hug or (between two women or a man and woman) make one kiss on the cheek. Normally, Asians are exempted from cheek kissing. However, if you are good friends, you will not be forgiven without a bear hug patting each other back. One of the guest speakers originally from England, took a year to wait for our first hugging. They felt something missing in our close Christian relationship without a hug for greetings.
2. Shoes on or off
Feel free to have your shoes on, but be alert don’t venture into the host house without permission and company. Basically, this absolute contrasting habit stems from different cultural background and world view.
The Aussies opine that the floor is dirty as it is simply and extension of the outdoor ground. They believe the floor is intended only for walking on. Thus their value judgment lead them to conduct all other household activities such as eating, sitting and sleeping on a sort of raised platform apart from the floor. This result in the behaviour of walking with shoes on in the house.
On the contrary, the Chinese view of the world is that indoor and outdoor is two different worlds. In door is clean as such they believe it is suitable for varieties of activities. This gives rise to the value judgment of using the floor for eating, sitting and sleeping apart from walking. Thus it leads to a contrasting behaviour of Chinese (most of the Eastern races) to removed the shoes upon entering the house, or change into another shoes for indoor such as slipper.
I have observed that more and more Aussie Tradies (trade men) voluntarily remove their shoes upon entering an Asian’s house. But when you visit an Aussie’s home, just feel free to have your shoes on. You will only embarrass the host if you insist to take your shoes off.
3. What not to do
Local Aussie may invite you to have afternoon tea, or even tea (causal evening meal), but they still preserve pretty much their own privacy. You normally will only be invited to set down in the dining room, and have a cuppa after meal in the sitting room. Don’t ever suggest to ask the host for a tour in the house, which we Chinese like very much to show off our room, furniture and decoration. Lately, when I have the Queensland Kairos meeting at one of the committee member’s house, the host chose to confine our meeting at the pergola area. All indoor areas are out of bound for absolute privacy. So, don’t touch a thing even in the permitted area unless invited. If a TV games or home theatre is on, don’t operate without consent of the host.
4. Conversations: what not to ask and the proper manner?
Respect for privacy applies to friendly conversation, especially in a first visit. There are a few forbidden questions for most of the Aussies about their age, marital status, income, value or rent of the house and or other property items, political beliefs and sexual inclination.
When engaging in conversation, you will see that Aussie look each other in eyes when they are talking to show that they are listening. As a TESOL English teacher, I also recognize that the Aussies don’t just listen but watch your shape of the mouth to ascertain your pronunciation, for instance, the th sound must have the tongue protruded.
Apart from eyes contact, you may also notice that Aussies keep a distance when talking to each other and may become uncomfortable if you stand too close, this may be due to the sparse population.
It is common for Aussies to joke or tease each others. Being able to “take a joke” is highly regarded and if you show that you are able to laugh at yourself, this will endear you to many Aussies. Sarcasm is another form of humour used widely in Australia, where the words used imply the opposite of their true meaning. The way to distinguish a sarcastic comment is by the tone of voice used and the context.The following Q & A were posted on an Australian Tourism Website and the answers are the actual responses by the website officials, who obviously have a great sense of humour:
Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? ( USA )
A: Yes, but you'll have to learn it first
Q: Can I bring cutlery into Australia ? ( UK)
A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do.
Q: Do you celebrate Christmas in Australia ? ( France )
A: Only at Christmas.
Q: Can you tell me the regions in Tasmania where the female population is smaller than the male population? ( Italy )
A: Yes, gay night clubs.
Q: Are there supermarkets in Sydney and is milk available all year round? (Germany )
A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of vegan hunter/gatherers. Milk is illegal.
Q: I want to walk from Perth to Sydney - can I follow the railroad tracks? ( Sweden)
A:Sure, it's only three thousand miles, take lots of water.
5. Bring a Present :
It is not normally expected that you bring a present when invited to a dinner party, but if you drink alcohol, it is usual to bring a bottle of wine or a few cans of beer to share. If you are asked to “bring a plate” this means to bring a plate of food to share.
In a Barbie (BBQ) occasion, the host will mention in their invitation if you are required to bring your own meat, if not mentioned, then you don’t need to bring anything.
If you are attending a birthday party, so of course you are obliged to bring a present. In a Christmas party situation, you will need to bring a present for exchange with others. It is noteworthy that Aussies regard unwrapping the present on the spot in front of everybody is a good manner, a showing of excitement and appreciation of the gift is expected.
Say Good Bye or a Big Honk
Goodbye, Bye, Ta ta, Hooroo, See ya later, See ya, Catch ya 'round, See ya 'round are all common farewell expressions. "seeya" (short for "see you later") possibly is the most popular one. They are more or less self-explanatory except Hooroo.
It originates from the practice of lonely guys out in the bush, who after meeting and talking of their plight would often say goodbye before going off to "Hoo a Roo". Roo is a shortened name for the Kangaroo and Hoo comes from the sound said Kangaroo makes when surprised from behind. Guys would say "Time to Hoo a Roo" on parting and this gradually became shortened to Hooroo.
It is funny sometime when Aussies say good bye to you and as they go to leave down the road they honk their horn to say good bye again.
Again, this is a practice developed because of the scarcity of population. It is a bit of a nuisance in today relatively crowded urban environment. But it is a good way to identify with your new Aussie friends to make a big honk.
Radeo(*), A Big Honk from me to finish for the day. Hooroo!
(*) It means "Right-o" which was British slang for "alright" or "OK". It's since become "righty -o" ( or as we say in the colonies "rahd ee o"!)
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