Categories: uncategorized
Date: 08 July 2004 22:55:52
Time :: 9:00am
Temperature :: -1 deg C
Maximum number of syllables should be in any word :: 3
Conditions :: Yesterday turned out to be perfect, today is overcast and a bit breezier but still good.
Prompted by a response to the term "bikkies" yesterday, I thought I'd mention a little bit about Aussie English.
The Wikipedia has this to say:
Australian English has a unique set of diminutives formed by adding -o or -ie to the ends of (often abbreviated words). There does not appear to be any particular pattern to which of these suffixes is used. Examples with the -o ending include abo (aborigine - now considered very offensive), arvo (afternoon), servo (service station, though the term is dying out), rego (annual motor vehicle registration) and ambo (ambulance officer). Examples of the -ie ending include barbie (barbeque), bikkie (biscuit) and blowie (blowfly). Occasionally, a -za diminutive is used, usually for personal names where the first of multiple syllables ends in an "r". Barry becomes Bazza, Karen becomes Kazza and Sharon becomes Shazza.
That is very true, and for some reason it seems even more so up here at the snow. Some new dimis (diminutives) I've learned are supey (supermarket), the Genny (pronounced Jenny, for the General Hotel), boardies (snowboarders), towies (I don't know what it's short for, but they man the lifts), and yagey (jagermeister, a popular drink up here imported from Germany).
Handy Tip for Living at Mt Hotham #26
Make sure you know your yageys from your towies when you're at the Genny getting cosey.