I love that Australia is an English-speaking country. No, it’s not because I’m lazy to practice a foreign language in order to communicate. I love that Australia is English-speaking because it means I can appreciate the subtle differences between American and Australian lingo. For example, last week in my economics tutorial (recitation), an Australian acquaintance turned to me and said, “I don’t understand this problem, full stop.” Full stop? Here, a period (.) is called a full stop. So my friend didn’t understand the problem, period. It’s a phrase that translates perfectly between America and Australia.
Sometimes the language difference is even more fun in print. When I use UNSW’s online database search engine, just like with any engine, I type in the topic I’m looking for and press “Search.” The browser window first tells me it’s “Searching…” and then it begins “Fetching…” the relevant articles. I don’t think I’ve had something “fetched” for me in my entire life, until now.
My favorite Aussie language, though, can only be found in one place: the weather report. Today, the weather in Brisbane is “Mostly fine,” in Perth it’s “Fine,” and Adelaide will be “Mainly fine.” But what does “fine” mean? Luckily the Australian Bureau of Meteorology website offers a precise definition: “No rain or other precipitation (hail, snow, etc). The use of fine is generally avoided in excessively cloudy, windy, foggy or dusty conditions. In particular, note that fine means the absence of rain or other precipitation such as hail or snow – not ‘good’ or ‘pleasant’ weather.” The city of Darwin is not fine today as there is a “Late shower about.” Sydney may also get rain along with “Light westerly winds, turning northeast to southeast this afternoon, then southerly later and freshening.” Hmm… freshening?
Australian lingo, to me, is always cute, quirky, endearing. It’s just enough different from American English and just enough the same. It reminds me that although I’m far away, I feel at home here.
