I'm hoping to make "Lost in Translation" a semi-regular feature for my time in Oz. Posts with this heading will usually deal with peculiar Aussie slang and the like.
Our inaugural phrase is: "How are you going?"
American English = which way are you getting there
Aussie-speak = How are you doing; how's it going; what's up
Comments: In American English, I feel like this is grammatically incorrect to mean the Australian version. It just doesn't seem right. Everytime someone asks me I feel like making a smart remark, but that just seems rude. I can't tell if they do sarcasm here or not. Anyway, I'm sure there are loads of other words I'll learn that are more bizarre than this one, but as of now, I'm reluctant to accept this as a proper way to speak.
4 comments:
when you think about it, though, 'how are doing' isn't much better. doing what, exactly? maybe we're wrong in both hemispheres, and we should all consider switching to something more like "how are you being?" or "hello, please exchange meaningless pleasantries with me. interesting shorts you have on, by the way..."
we should introduce clicks and clocks like Xhosa, where it kind of sounds like a horses clip clop.
Lots of people will call you mate also; most of them will not be your mate, nor will you want them to be.
Hope your having fun out there...catch a chuzwozza for me.
what the hell is a chuzwozza???
what the teenage ozzie dweeb in the simpsons go to oz says he would have named a bull frog...
"that's a funny name, i'd have called it a chuzwozza"
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