Australia Up Close Aussie slang: English they never taught you By CHELSEA MCLEAN	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
オーストラリアのスラング オーストラリア英語といえば、"G'day"が最も有名ですが、ほかにもたくさん独特の俗語・口語表現があります。昨年出版されたスラング辞典"Macquarie Book of Slang"は、今オーストラリアで使われている俗語・口語をまとめていて、なかなか興味深い辞書です。今週はその中からいくつかはやりの言葉を紹介します。

If you thought English was difficult to learn in a classroom wait until you hear how much slang we use that you can't find in your typical English dictionary.

I love browsing through bookshops and one day I came across "The Macquarie Book of Slang." It is a dictionary of current Australian slang words. Looking through it made me realize how bizarre and amusing our colloquialisms must sound to foreigners.

The most famous Australian slang word is "G'day" ― obviously meaning "hello." It is a contraction of the old English greeting "Good day." Australians use all sorts of abbreviations, like "hi" for "hello," "ta" for "thank you," "see ya" for "see you later" and "congrats" for "congratulations."

Like speakers of any language, Australians use a colorful range of "swear words." Most people admit to saying "shit!" or "bugger!" when something goes wrong. "Bugger" is a typical Australian word and can also be used in other contexts like "bugger off!" meaning "please go away"; "it's a bugger of a day" for "it's a bad day and everything is going wrong"; "it's hot as buggery" instead of "it's very hot"; "bugger you!" meaning "I'm angry at you"; "I'm buggered" for "I'm exhausted"; and "stupid bugger!," a derogatory term for "stupid man."

One of the most amusing types of Australian jargon is rhyming slang, which was invented simply because it rhymes with other words. Aussie men often call having a shave a "Dad'n'Dave," and "hitting the road" (getting in the car to go home) is sometimes called "hitting the frog and toad"!! Even though these phrases sound absurd many Australians use them!

Because of our slightly warped sense of humor, some Aussies like to call white "black" and black "white." For example, tall people are often nicknamed "shorty" and people with red hair are commonly called "bluey." I've never understood why ― it's just part of speaking the Australian way.

Acronyms have also become fashionable slang words. These are words formed using the first letter of each word they represent. For example, people with a Double Income and No Kids are known as "dinks"; Young Urban Professionals have been labeled "yuppies"; Zestful Upscale People in their Prime are called "zuppies"; and a Sensitive New Age Guy is simply referred to as a "snag."

Alcohol has inspired a whole range of colorful Australian slang words. Alcohol itself is often called "booze," "piss" or "grog." A person who drinks too much alcohol is said to be "drunk," "pissed," "gone," "blind," "paralytic," "plastered," "shit-faced" or "under the table." Vomiting after drinking too much alcohol is often known as "chundering," "puking," "hurling," "chucking," "spewing," "barfing," "riding the porcelain bowl" or "driving the porcelain bus" (a metaphor for hanging one's head over the toilet or dunny).

The great Australian adjective used to emphasize everything that is both good and bad is the word "bloody." "Bloody beauty!" means something is really good, whereas "bloody bastard!" indicates annoyance and anger. Bloody can also be used to stress opinion, like "a bloody good game," and can be inserted in the middle of words like "abso-bloody-lutely" to emphasize agreement.

You can find more "awesome" slang words from all over the world on the "totally cool" Internet page called K*I*D (Kid's Internet Dictionary) located at http://www.dict.mq.edu.au/kid. On this page you can look up words and add new slang used by kids in your home country.

Most slang used by Aussie kids today comes from popular American TV shows like "The Simpsons." Some typical kids' slang words are: to "burn" someone, meaning to insult or embarrass some one by telling jokes or stories about them; "dude" meaning a really "cool" person who is your friend or "mate"; "der!" an insulting exclamation uttered when someone has stated the obvious; and "Do'h" used when something has gone wrong.

Other common kids' slang words include: "festy," something ugly or unpleasant; "feral," something disgusting or gross; "legend," someone who does something really impressive; "nigel," a person who doesn't have any friends; "sick" or "wicked," exclamations used to describe something really excellent; and "unco," someone who lacks coordination.

"Fair dinkum" is typical Australian slang meaning "true" or "genuine." Aussies often say "fair dinkum?" when we hear something new or interesting. We say it to make sure the person telling us the news isn't "pulling our leg" (lying), or simply as an automatic response meaning we're surprised. "Fair dinkum" can also be used to describe a person who is honest and has good intentions.

So now if you visit Australia you'll understand some of our slang and perhaps even be able to string a sentence together like: Aussie slang is the most radical lingo in the world dudes, fair dinkum!

Shukan ST: March 14, 1997

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