Sunday, August 2, 2009

Aussie-American English Dictionary

Language learning isn't what I expected to be doing in Australia but it turns out that there are loads of words that are different between here and the States, not to mention all the different pronunciations and getting used to a different accent! Here are the main differences I've learned over the last several months.

Australian English - American English

4WD

SUV

"That's $5, thank you" (salesperson in a store)

"That's $5 please"

Afternoon tea

Coffee/tea break

Aluminium

Aluminum

Arvo

Afternoon

Bacon

More like ham

Barbie

Barbeque

Bin

Trash can

Biscuit (bikkies)

Cracker or cookie

Bitumen (pronounced bitchumen)

Tar/asphalt

Bloke

Guy

Bludger (pronounced blujuh)

Lazy person

Bonnet

Hood

Boot

Trunk

Bottle shop

Liquor store

Brekkie

Breakfast

Bring a plate

Potluck

Bush

Out in the country, the woods

Bush fire

Forest fire

Bush walking

Hiking

Capsicum

Green/red/yellow pepper

Caravan

Motor home

Chips

French fries

Chemist

Pharmacist

Chooks

Chickens

Chuck a left/right/u-turn

Turn left…

Chuck a wobbly

Throw a fit

Clucky

Wanting your own kids

College

Tech school

Creche

Nursery

Crook

Sick or below standard

Cuppa

Cup of tea

Dacking

Depantsing

Diagonally

Kitty corner

Dobber

Tattletale

Dodgy

Shady or below standard

Dressing gown

Bathrobe

Doona

Bedspread

Dunny

Outhouse

Esky

Cooler

Fair dinkum

For real, true

Fair go

Give someone a chance

Flat out

Going as fast as possible

Footpath

Sidewalk

Footy

Aussie rules football

Fortnight

2 weeks

Full on

Super busy, overwhelming, intense

Gaol

Jail

G'day

Hey

Get sacked

Get fired

Give way

Yield

Good as! (can be used with most any adjective)

As good as (fill in the blank)

Good on ya

Good for you, way to go

Year 1

1st grade

Hand in

Turn in

Heaps (can say things like 'heaps good)

Lots (exp. Like "super good")

High school

7th -12th grade

Holiday

Vacation

How ya goin'?

How's it going?

Ice block

Popsicle

Jumper (pronounced jumpuh)

Sweater

Kindy

Kindergarten or pre-school

Lollies

Candy

Lolly

Sucker

Loo

Bathroom

Maccas

McDonalds

Mark

Grade (on an assignment)

Mate

Friend

Milk bar

General or corner store

Milkshake

Actual milk with syrup or flavoring in it

Mince

Ground beef/hamburger

Mobile

Cell phone

Morning tea

Coffee/tea break

Mozzie

Mosquito

Muesli

Granola

Mum

Mom

Nappy

Diaper

No worries

No problem, it's alright

Ocker (pronounced ockuh)

Aussie version of a redneck

Oval

Sports field

Over (used as a verb) the page

Turn the page

Parcel (pronounced pawsull)

Package

Partner (pronounced pawtnuh)

Husband/wife

Petrol

Gas

Pinch

Steal

Plaits

Braids

Poo

Manure or poop

Pram

Stroller

Primary School

Elementary School

Rock up/turn up

Show up

Rockmelon

Cantaloupe

Rubbish

Trash

Sanger (pronounced sanguh)

Sandwich

Schmozle

Mess, chaotic situation

School

Up to age 18 Only

Semi trailer (pronounced semee trailuh)

Semi

Serviette

Napkin

Servo

Gas station

She'll be right

It's all good

Shop

Store

Shout

Treat someone (pay for their meal)

Sickie

Sick day

Singlet

Tank top

Skivvy

Turtleneck

Smoko

Smoke break or tea break

Stone

Pit (as in a fruit)

Sneakers/runners/joggers

Tennis shoes

Spider (pronounced spida)

Coke (or any other pop/soda) float

Stonefruit

Any fruit with a pit in it

Sultanas

Raisons

Supper (pronounced supuh)

Post-dinner snack

Swimmers/bathers/swimming costume/togs

Swimsuit

Ta (pronounced taw)

Thanks

Tea

Evening meal

That's all right

Sure, you're welcome

The toilet

Bathroom

Thongs

Flip flops

Tick

Checkmark

Tin

Can

Tinny

Can of beer

Tip

Dump/landfill

Tomato sauce (pronounced tomawto sowce)

Ketchup

Track

Trail

Tracky daks

Sweat pants

Trolley

Cart

Trousers (pronounced trousas)

Pants

Truck

Delivery truck, semi

Tyre

Tire

Uni (university)

College

Ute

Pickup Truck

White tea/white coffee

Tea/coffee with milk

Windscreen

Windshield

Zed

Z

Pronunciations

Ah mund

Almond

Ashfelt

Asphalt

Core dee ull

Cordial

Fawstuh

Faster

Heytch (H)

Aytch (H)

Nyewspeypuh

Newspaper

Pasta (1st a like a in apple)

Pasta

Semee

Semi

Sixdeen

Sixteen

Chune

Tune

Whoa tuh

Water

All R's at the end of words dropped unless following word begins in a vowel

Exp. "computa" for computer or "caw" for car

All R's in the middle of words dropped if in a consonant cluster.

Exp. "Cala" for Carla or "ama" for armor

R's added to words ending in a vowel if the following word begins in a vowel.

Exp. "Montana(r) is a great state"


Wow, pretty incredibly long list! Who would have thought!

3 comments:

Elyse Patten said...

wow! impressive list! is this just from your own observations?

by the way - we do not say 'milk bar'!!! where did you get that? melody?
:)

Laura Thulesen said...

Elyse, ya you're right - I don't think I've ever heard anyone use the term milk bar. I just got that one from all the stores around here with signs above them saying "milk bar". Weird.

Parandeh said...

I say 'milk bar' all the time! Ah ha ha ha! So funny Laura! - esp the way Aussie's say stuff...