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Subject: 
RE: Newbie with questions
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.loc.au
Date: 
Fri, 23 Jun 2000 02:09:10 GMT
Viewed: 
425 times
  
-----Original Message-----
From: Kerry Raymond [mailto:kerry@dstc.edu.au]
Sent: Friday, June 23, 2000 12:02 PM
To: lugnet.loc.au@lugnet.com
Subject: Re: Newbie with questions



"> OK, well, I thought there's some reason why you're
compressing it (e.g.
joking 'bout a TV anchor or something.) Never mind... :-)

We write it G'day because we pronounce it in that very
contracted way, i.e.
Gidd-ay (or Gidd-hay).

A lot of people genuinely use it. I do when speaking/writing
informally. I
think the Internet has actually slightly encouraged its use
(even by people
who don't use it in everyday life), because it enables
Australians to assert
our cultural identity on the Internet.

I suspect that "genuine use" of G'day probably relates to the
social circles
you belong to (or grew up in). I certainly learned it as a
child. Mind you,
I also inherited expressions like "whacko" and "bitzer" which
don't seem to
have survived like "G'day" has.

For the benefit of our overseas readers ...

"whacko" is an expression of pleasure, as in "we're having a
lamb roast?
Whacko!"
"bitzer" is a contraction of "bits of this and bits of that"
and is used for
any kind of a mixed assortment of things. For example, "I
have a bitzer dog"
meaning a mixed breed.

Actually, "bitzer" would be a good word to describe a Lego
model which had
to be built with a random collection of colours in order to get enough
parts.

Kerry


So I'm not the only one who knows more strine than "G'day"..Strewth, and
here was me thinking I was alone :) [It's a real pity they don't teach
Strine in schools, I reckon. I know I'd rather they taught this than
teaching children mis-spelt American[1] words and American sayings.]

[1] American as in U.S.A. I don't want to offend someone from anywhere else
in America by implying everyone there is a 'Yank'.

Benjamin Whytcross
BWhytcro@PacificAccess.com.au
Ph: (03) 9856 5282
Directory Technology Pty Ltd
1/436 Elgar Road,
Box Hill, 3128

Growing older is compulsory..Growing up isn't :-)



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: Newbie with questions
 
(...) In particular, I dislike our schools doing regular Halloween things each year as many have started doing (due to the influence of American TV, no doubt). I have no problems with schools talking about Halloween as part of understanding someone (...) (24 years ago, 23-Jun-00, to lugnet.loc.au)

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