I think Spoken English is one of the main challenges that many international students/newcomers face when we first arrive in Australia, including me. So what are the unique elements I found about Australian English that you should know? Well, there are three main things: tone, colourful slang and abbreviations.
Tone (High Rising Intonation)
One obvious thing that I noticed when I first arrived here is many people tend to raise their tone at the end of sentences, so it sounds like they are asking questions (similar to the second tone in Mandarin). I found it a bit challenging to understand initially (as many international students do), because I was not used to it. But I got better with time. To interact with locals and to listen more is definitely an effective way to solve this issue.
So shall we imitate that?
Emm, probably not, at least not to do it during a job interview. Why? Research indicates that it will leave employers with an impression that speakers are not confident enough about their statements, and they are trying to seek approval from others.
What about the Australian accent? Well, it depends on the people. Some sound similar to British accent while others are far from that. You can discover more information from this link below:
Slang
I didn’t know Australia is famous for its rich and varied usage of its slang until I got here. Therefore, at first, I was so overwhelmed and frustrated, because I knew nothing. But later on, I fully embraced it with amazement and fascination! I realised a lot of slang actually reflects Australian culture. How interesting!
I still remember my first few weeks, I got so confused with the following phrases:
“What are you up to?”
“How are you doing?”
“How are you going?”
“How is it going?” (or How’s it goin?”)
It took me a while to figure out all the meanings and remember them all.
“What are you up to?” means “What are you doing?”. And the rest are all similar to “How are you?”. Also, I began to know that besides answering “Fine, thank you, and you?” (which is a standard reply I was told as a kid in China), there is so much more that I can respond (e.g., “I am great.” or “I am quite busy.”).
What about the most popular slang I encountered?
“No worries”, which has also been referred to as the national motto of Australia.
It means “do not worry about that” or “that’s all right”. It can also mean “you're welcome”.
I love it. It’s so versatile, and it well represents Australian’s attitude too: relaxed, friendly as well as containing a spice of optimism. It also reminds me of a trendy Chinese quote, “Nothing matters except to live or die”.
Family time and enjoying life plays an essential role in locals’ lives. Therefore, when I told a friend of mine that there’s a guy I met who was so hardworking that he didn’t even rest, her reply surprised me a bit:
“Is he from an Asian background? I haven’t met anyone acts like him.”
Ah, her guess is right, but of course, it doesn’t mean all Australians are the same.
So which category do you fall into? I find if I'm passionate about something, I can quickly lose track of time. But I also believe we shouldn’t forget to relax and enjoy other aspects of our life too. Keeping that balance is hard sometimes, but we have a whole life to learn :)
What about the most frequently spoken word?
I would say “Mate”. It refers to a friend, and it’s mainly used among males. This word is also a reflection of Australian culture. In early colonial times, the environment was harsh, so settlers had to count on one another. The term got flourished during the First World War. Thus, a 'mate' also illustrates a sense of shared experience, mutual respect and unconditional support.
Why did Australians come up with their unique slang?
Partly because early settlers tended to come from places with rich local linguistic traditions such as Scotland, Ireland and the East End of London. They loved playing with language, creating nicknames for local things. Thanks for your contribution! I love this playfulness. It adds fun to our daily life (even though it can also lead to some hilarious stories).
Storytime
My first local friend invited me to her place for tea at 6.30 pm. I was thinking, why 6.30? What an awkward time for tea! Isn’t it dinner time for most people? So I had to have my early dinner at home. But when I arrived at her house, she brought me straight to her dining table:
“I hope you like the pizza I made today.”
She said this with excitement and a bit of nervousness.
I then realised: “Oh no, tea = dinner. Why did no one tell me this?”
One of my friends’ story is even more embarrassing. Another dinner invitation. But she was told to bring a plate. She felt puzzled, “Hmm, why did my friend ask me to bring a plate? Maybe because she invited so many guests, she doesn't have enough plates to serve on the day?” Anyway, she just followed the instruction with an empty plate on the day. When her friend opened the door, she froze for a second and then laughed out loud. Why? “bring a plate” = “bring a dish to share”, haha.
My first "bring a plate" party
Apart from these, there is some other slang which I found very commonly used in SA too:
Ta/cheers: Thank you
Good on ya: Well done
She'll be right: Everything will be fine
Reckon: Think
Heaps/Bloody: A lot
Full-on: Intense
Flat out: Extremely busy
Thongs: Flipflops
You can find more from here:
Abbreviation
Locals like to shorten almost everything. It’s been said Australians use abbreviations the most among all English-speaking countries, and they have around 5,000 abbreviations to choose from.
At first, I complained to my friends, “Why are people so lazy here?” Because I had to always check out the meanings or to pretend that I understood. But after a while, I started to like these abbreviations. Shortened versions are much easier to say, and some are so cute to hear too ;). Also, it matched well with Australians’ characteristics: informal, friendly and relaxed.
Here are the top 10 most popular words in SA I summarised for you so you could feel the vibe:
Aussie: Australian
Ya: You
G’day: Good day
Arvo: Afternoon
Uni: University
Barbie: BBQ
Veggi: Vegetable
Brekky: Breakfast
My favourite two words are(due to their sound):
Sunnies: Sunglasses
Comfy: Comfortable
Of course, people shorten their names too.
For example, Alex refers to Alexander or Alexandra, and Tim has shortened for Timothy. Previously My English name was Cathy. Initially, I was thinking: “This is very short already, and I doubt they could find a shorter version for this. But I was wrong, there is, Cath.”
More information regarding abbreviations, check the link below:
So what are my tips in terms of learning Australian English?
👉 Preparation
You can do some research or watch some Australian videos before coming to Australia to get yourself familiar with Australian slang and accent.
👉 Be prepared to ask
People I meet here are amiable and understanding. They know we come from a different country, so they usually are very happy to explain words if you don’t know and they even show their admiration that we can speak more than one language (while most of them cannot). So take it easy and enjoy the learning process ;)
👉 Don’t get offended when locals ask you “Does it make sense?” or “Do you understand what I mean?”
They just want to check whether you understand them. Here speakers have the prime responsibility to get the messages understood to their listeners. So please don’t interpret that they question your ability to comprehend their messages. Try to be an active listener, such as showing that you are listening (e.g.., eye contact, nod, smile and say “yes” or “uh-huh”) and clarifying if you are not sure about the information.
To know more about how to be an active listener, you could check the links below:
https://www.adelaide.edu.au/writingcentre/sites/default/files/docs/learningguide-activelistening.pdf
I also like the way my Chinese ancestors explained how to be a good listener too.
You can find it in the traditional Chinese character for to listen 聽 (ting). In this character, when you look at different parts of this word, it tells you that: You need to treat the speaker as a king and use your ear, eyes and heart altogether while listening.
This concludes my observation of Australian English. Now over to you. What do you think of Australian English? If I missed anything important, please free feel to let me know :)
