Questions tagged [australian-english]
Questions about English used in Australia.
155
questions
0
votes
2
answers
46
views
More formal way of saying "fighting until the end"
I'm currently working on a history essay and said "Saladin choose to declare a truce with the Crusaders in 1192 instead of fighting until the end."
It gets the point across but I think it's ...
- 11
0
votes
1
answer
50
views
how to interpret a question with a 'where' in the sentence
I am a bit confused on how to intepret a question like the following which has a where in it. The question is
List all towns where Tom stayed 8 weeks or more outside his home town.
I'm not sure if ...
- 101
9
votes
2
answers
829
views
What is the origin of "deadly" as "excellent" in Irish and Australian English?
I wonder what the origin of "deadly" as "very good" and "excellent" is in Irish and Australian English. For example, a satisfied hotel guest might say, "The staff ...
- 1,458
0
votes
0
answers
40
views
Australian pronunciation of the word "mum" (for mother)
As a native Midwestern U.S. speaker of American English, I had always assumed that the vowel in the word "mum" (meaning "mother") would be pronounced the same as the "u" ...
- 925
0
votes
0
answers
20
views
Does "special" have a special meaning wrt notebooks in AusE?
A class received some regular and some special notebooks, and altogether there were 80 notebooks. A regular notebook costs 20 cents and a special one 10 cents. How many of each kind of notebook did ...
- 4,498
-1
votes
1
answer
150
views
Dialect using "woman" instead of "women"?
If you watch this VICE episode, the presenter sounds like a native speaker, but uses "woman" instead of "women" every time (probably over a dozen times in the 10 minute video).
...
- 1,281
15
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Char a baby sheep?
I was watching a video called "Amnesia day" by Juice Media and I heard this phrase:
Come on straya! Crack a tinnie! Char a baby sheep! Stick a flag on your car! Or on your knob!
I was ...
- 315
0
votes
1
answer
119
views
Meaning of "summer" and "winter" in Australian English [closed]
What is the meaning of "summer" (and "winter") in modern Australian English? It means cold time, but in June, July and August, or warm time, but in December, January and February?
- 1
11
votes
5
answers
3k
views
Is "peckish" less common in American English than other varieties?
In SuperHolly's video about visiting Australia at around 3:04, Holly mentions coming across the word "peckish" for the first time. As an Australian, I wasn't aware of the word being more ...
- 17.8k
0
votes
0
answers
54
views
Could anyone ID this accent?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_QckQZHa1s (the first person to speak)
I was told it's Australian, but the Australians I met sounded very different.
- 1,281
2
votes
0
answers
81
views
Does anyone know if there is a ‘ball-bowl’ merger in Australia?
I live in Australia, and I recently had a moment of confusion when talking with someone who had merged the words ball and bowl. They pronounced it something like /bɔl/. They said fall, small, wall, ...
- 135
0
votes
2
answers
126
views
How often do you use 'nowadays' vs 'these days' in your dialect?
I would say that in South Africa, nowadays is rather quaint; something that perhaps Boomers and older or second language speakers would use. Unfortunately, I cautioned a student nearly a year ago ...
1
vote
2
answers
1k
views
Using 'via' properly
I'm an English-learning Japanese student. I want to know if I'm using the word 'via' properly. This is the sentence:
"...by telling Sato how you can meet people even if they live overseas via the ...
- 13
0
votes
0
answers
60
views
What is the difference between 'Beer' and 'Beers'? Which is correct? [duplicate]
Thank you for coming.
I want to ask you "what is the difference 'Beer' and 'Beers'?"
I had a job creating ads for foreigner.
So, I made this sentence
→"50% discount on All Beer."
However I had ...
- 1
1
vote
1
answer
111
views
How can one use 'would' and 'could' both, consecutively?
I encountered a sentence in an article. The writer (an Australian) has used both 'could' and 'would' consecutively in a sentence.
The sentence is
But I was determined to make a statement: would ...
- 25
2
votes
1
answer
101
views
Exactly what does "range" mean in "to range the bride costume"?
In a news article from Australia, a Kmart spokesperson said, "Kmart Australia regrets the decision to range the bride costume."
I checked various dictionaries including OED, but I could not find an ...
- 25
2
votes
1
answer
364
views
Is "swap" an accepted alternate spelling for "swab" in Australian English?
A client from Australia sent us some documents that pretty consistently use "alcohol swap" to describe disinfecting wipes.
So no, this is not a "what do I use if I don't have gin" type of situation; ...
- 32k
3
votes
1
answer
331
views
Is "crib bag" the Australian equivalent of "carryall" in AmE?
I have seen bags labeled "crib bags" on Australian websites. I never really understand what they are precisely or whether "crib" refers to the material or the shape of the bag.
It seems the bags that ...
- 1,065
4
votes
1
answer
349
views
Origin of the saying 'It's a soda'?
We say that something is easy (in Australia at least) by saying that 'it's a soda?' What is the origin of this please? Why soda?
- 41
0
votes
0
answers
370
views
Are "one" and "won" homophones in Australian English?
My friend and I are both native speakers of Australian English.
He thinks "one" and "won" sound different and feels "a one-liner" sounds wrong and should be "an one-liner". He does think the two ...
- 7,388
-1
votes
1
answer
62
views
the wording specific to Australia [closed]
Please tell me the wording specific to Australia.
・Carrying on like a pork chop
・Chuck a sickie
etc.
thank you.
3
votes
4
answers
1k
views
What is the difference between ‘Is it free’ and ‘Is it on the house?’
One of my friends said, ‘Is it on the house?’ in Australia, but some felt a little awkward.
Do Australians not usually use the expression, ‘on the house’?
- 39
1
vote
5
answers
290
views
Why do U.S. Americans say "a good value" (using indefinite article "a")
Take this example from the Airbnb website: "What would have made this listing a better value?"
This souds absolutely horrible and incorrect to my Australian ears (I would omit the "a"). I've also ...
- 21
1
vote
0
answers
574
views
What is the history of the Australian slang word "sleeps" (meaning days)?
What is the history of the Australian slang word "sleeps" (meaning days)? I lived in Sydney many years ago and the term was not used then.
- 413
3
votes
2
answers
137
views
Multiple pronunciations of "where"
I've been an Australian English speaker my whole life but this was pointed out to me recently. Apparently I've been pronouncing "where" differently or incorrectly? Most of the people around me ...
- 31
1
vote
1
answer
63
views
On the double meaning of evaluation
I know that evaluation can refer to both the process and the result, but when you say something is an evaluation of another thing, like fact is evaluation of claim (forgive the choppiness, the ...
- 19
2
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Australian English: neighbor or neighbour?
Several sites (say, https://www.grammar.com/neighbor_vs._neighbour, https://proofreadmydocument.com.au/writing-tips/differences-between-american-and-australian-english, https://au.answers.yahoo.com/...
user318469
4
votes
2
answers
818
views
Australian English: developed or developped?
According to https://proofreadmydocument.com.au/writing-tips/spelling-tips-the-doubling-up-rule/ and https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/resources/view/resource/20/, we should spell the past ...
user318469
21
votes
6
answers
9k
views
Origin of "It's a fair cop"
After coming across the following questions, Origin of “All right, what's all this, then?!” and Origin of “Well, well, well. What do we have here?”, my curiosity was piqued to try and discover the ...
- 4,557
0
votes
1
answer
489
views
How do you pronounce the word "array" in Australian English?
I am learning accents (differences in pronunciation), and I was wondering how to pronounce the word "array" in Australian English, and how it's pronounced in other variants of the language. Is it AH-...
- 103
7
votes
1
answer
983
views
What connection (if any) is there in Australian slang between 'dinkum' and 'dink' (meaning a ride on bicycle handlebars)?
In an answer to the recent question, What is the American equivalent of a "backie"? site participant Chappo notes that in Australia the word dink is sometimes used as a noun to mean "a ...
- 150k
0
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Can the word "spunk" [AUS] be used to describe women as well as men?
The word spunk is used to describe an attractive man. Can it also be used for a female? This is an Australian English word.
E.g. :
He's not really a spunk. I mean he's nice but...
- 202
1
vote
0
answers
279
views
Why "idea-R-of" in Australia
I am not native english speaker
English is my 2nd Language
When I moved to Australia I noticed people here adding the letter R in between words that ends with vowel and the other that starts with ...
- 750
15
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Do native speakers of major English varieties actually say "a software" or "softwares"?
So I've looked up the word "software" around, and I've learned that -ware words are uncountable, and there's even a claim at the Wiktionary entry for this word that "a software" or "softwares" are a ...
- 4,828
2
votes
2
answers
150
views
Why is it okay for word initial /ɪ/ to sometimes be voiced as a /ə/ but not always?
For example what is the rule that says that,
"Enough" (ɪˈnʌf) can be pronounced as /ənʌf/
But for "Introduce" (ɪntrəˈdjuːs) the /ɪ/ can't be pronounced as a /ə/?
- 347
0
votes
1
answer
101
views
Help in deconstructing a sentence [closed]
This was a question posed by a friend. I'm myself curious of the answer. I apologize for the explicit content (I left it as is to remove ambiguity). I pretty sure that 'a yuppy fu@k' is a compound ...
- 129
2
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What is the meaning of "I’ll be up you for the rent"?
In this video at 1:43, Ray (the guy on the right), says something like:
"And if I ever hear you having your eyes lifted or something done to your chin I'll be up you for the rent too by the way.&...
- 23
1
vote
2
answers
312
views
What does the phrase "chuck something in" mean?
I was doing the bilingual subtitling for a video recorded last year, on the first day of same-sex marriage debate in the lower house of Australia. There was a marriage proposal from an MP to his ...
- 31
2
votes
2
answers
13k
views
Idiom: Origin of the phrase "a bit how ya going" to mean questionable or 'not quite right'
In Australia, where I live, it is not uncommon for people to describe something as "a bit 'how ya goin''" to mean that it's a little bit dodgy, or not quite right. An example is
"Hey don't you have ...
0
votes
1
answer
126
views
How come Australians refer to Aboriginal citizens as 'Aboriginal peoples', not 'Aboriginal people' [duplicate]
I've noticed in a lot of proceedings that Aboriginal citizens in Australia are referred to as 'Aboriginal peoples', not 'Aboriginal people' - is there any specific reason?
user227067
0
votes
2
answers
517
views
Metalanguage and Sentence Structure (help!!) [closed]
I got my assessment back on Friday, and my teacher said I need to work on metalanguage and sentence structure. I don't understand what she means. I have looked on the internet for past 20 minutes ...
- 3
5
votes
2
answers
478
views
What is the UK equivalent of 'murica and 'straya?
There is a pejorative phrase in the United States for country hicks that has recently arisen:
'murica
Implying that that user of the phrase doesn't pronounce their words properly and doesn't ...
- 2,598
0
votes
2
answers
70
views
Is saying "But if I try I can't remember" good English?
Is saying "But if I try I can't remember" good English?
I feel like there is something wrong with this sentence (apart from the use of "but" at the start of a sentence - it's a song lyric).
However,...
- 1
0
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Expressions about a phone call and its quality
I was listening to a radio program and there was an interview going on over the phone between the anchor and the listener. But I heard a disturbing sound from the phone call and the anchor said,
"...
- 127
4
votes
2
answers
372
views
Arcing up: cats or electricity?
In Australian English slang, the expression "to arc up" means "to become upset or angry" (Wikitionary), e.g. "he arced up at his boss after being denied a promised pay rise", or "it was just a joke, ...
- 1,329
1
vote
1
answer
222
views
Global socially acceptable way of acknowledging that I'm being a "pedantic w****r"?
I'm Australian and would not hesitate to call myself a "pedantic wanker" in public (because, well... I often am!).
There is a very small chance that someone (most likely elderly or particularly ...
- 121
1
vote
1
answer
201
views
"'ve" contraction in Canadian and Australian English
I'm wondering if in Australian or Canadian English you can use " 've" before a noun phrase in informal style:
I've a car.
They've a great time.
The question is somewhat related to this one. The ...
- 13
17
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Was Zink ever valid spelling for Zinc?
On the Genealogy & Family History Stack Exchange I asked What might 'pitt Zink' in 1873 South Australian diary mean? and the first answer I received more or less aligns with my thinking that Zink ...
- 359
1
vote
3
answers
580
views
Is"peanut" is pronounced as "pienut" in Australian English?
This morning on NHK Japanese National TV there was a short feature on an Australian person who is running an English school, teaching language and cooking at the same time.
As a part of the scenario ...
- 2,720
1
vote
1
answer
255
views
What are roach motels (the insect trap) called in Australian English?
In Australian English, what are the insect trap known as "roach motels" called? Wiktionary and Wikipedia (also this link) don't mention what it's called in Australian English.
- 17.8k