Australian Language
Aussie Slang
Australians speak English as their first language. While
the country is committed to multiculturalism - which, on one level,
means that most major organisations will have translators and
interpreters - in suburban and regional areas people who do not speak
English will experience difficulties. There is an interpreter service
offered by Telstra. Phone numbers are available in the front of the
White Pages.
It requires at least 150 pages to list fully the
idiosyncracies of Australian English. If you are interested in the
subject it worth reading:
Delbridge, Arthur (1984) Aussie Talk: The Macquarie
Dictionary of Australian Colloquialisms, Macquarie Library, Sydney.
The book has to be approached with some caution. It is
full of very funny, and very rarely used, images. Two terms for a
dentist - Œfang carpenter¹ and Œgum digger¹ - are so rarely used as to
be little more than quirkly expressions.
