G’Day, mate!

　　People all over the world are familiar with this greeting. When we hear it, we know that we are hearing someone who comes from Australia. “G’day, mate!” is a good example of “Strine” English. This is what Australians themselves call their unique form of the English language. To understand where the term comes from, imagine someone saying the word “AuSTRAlian” in a thick Australian accent.

　　Of all the different English accents around the world, the Australian accent is often the one that gives non-native-English speakers the most difficulty. For example, if someone with the name Tony goes to Australia for a visit, he may hear his new friends referring to him as “Tiny”! But Tony shouldn’t be upset – it’s only his friends’ Australian twang (accent) speaking, not their opinions of his height.

　　Even if your ears are attuned to the Australian accent, you may still have difficulty understanding the locals. You must also know some important “Strine” English terminology. Australians love wordplay and have slang words for every occasion. They also like to simplify their speech by shortening words, like the term “Aussie”, which means “Australian.” But on other occasions, many Australians have the habit of referring to something using a convoluted rhyming slang such as “Steak and kidney”(Sydney), or even “Trouble ‘n’ strife” (wife) This type of rhyming slang is similar to Cockney English. Cockney is English spoken in the poor eastern neighbourhoods of London, England. Some say that Cockney was also used by small-time criminals to confuse the police. A couple of hundred years ago, England sent its prisoners to Australia to live out their prison sentences. Many people say Strine rhyming slang is evidence of Australia’s convict past!

　　You may be surprised to know the origin of one of the most popular and unusual “Strine” English terms: Fair Dinkum. Depending on the context, the term can mean “Honestly!” or “Yes, I’m telling you the truth!” Someone who is referred to as a “Dinkum Bloke” is reliable and straightforward, a real compliment. Some claim that this term is derived from a Chinese language. During the Australian gold rush in the 1880s, Chinese miners referred to real gold as “ding cum.”

　　Take a look at some examples of Strine English below:

　　　　让我们来看看下面的一些澳大利亚英语：

　　arvoafternoon:　　　-　　　as in “I’ll come by your place this arvo.”

　　Aussie　　　-　　　Australian

　　bluey　　　-　　　red-headed person

　　chook　　　-　　　chicken

　　crook　　　-　　　sick

　　cozzie　　　-　　　swimming costume

　　good on ya’　　　-　　　good for you

　　narked　　　-　　　upset

　　no worries/ she’ll be right　　　-　　　no problem

　　Pom　　　-　　　British person

　　Sheila　　　-　　　woman/girlfriend

　　tough bikkies　　　-　　　bad luck

　　tucker　　　-　　　food

　　ute　　　-　　　pickup truck

　　Strine quiz:

　　Australians often shorten their words by taking the main syllable and adding -ie, -ey or -o at the end. Try your hand at Strine! Can you match the Strine English terms to the real thing?

　　澳大利亚英语小测试：

　　澳大利亚人喜欢在谈话中缩短单词，只发出主要的音节，然后在词尾加上-ie, -ey或-o。试试看你对澳大利亚英语的了解有多少。你能指出如下澳大利亚英语所指的是什么吗？

　　1. barbie　　　A. television

　　2. bikie　　　B. candy

　　3. bikkie　　　C. breakfast

　　4. brolly　　　D. umbrella

　　5. brekkie　　　E. can of beer

　　6. chockie　　　F. chocolate

　　7. garbo　　　G. garbage collector

　　8. lollie　　　H. relatives

　　9. mozzie　　　I. biscuit

　　10. rellies　　　J. motorcyclist

　　11. tellie　　　K. barbecue

　　12. tinnie　　　L. mosquito

　　13. smoko　　　M. cigarette break

　　Answers: 1-K 2-J 3-I 4-D 5-C 6-F 7-G 8-B 9-L 10-H 11-A 12-E 13-M