March 19, 2004
BROOKHISER REQUIRES BOOTING
The Corner’s Rick Brookhiser has created the greatest rift in Americo-Australian relations since we severed diplomatic ties over a Simpsons episode:
Overheard in a store in New Paltz, New York (yes, that New Paltz). A man with a chin beard, purple sweater and an Australian or lower-class English accent, ordering shellfish.
That's a bloody outrage, it is! I’ll take this all the way to the Prime Minister. Our troops will be out of Iraq by dawn.
Posted by Tim Blair at March 19, 2004 01:03 PM
Crikey! I think this Brookhiser fellow needs a good booting, preferably from Bruno Dundridge!
I am with you guys - if Rick cant pick the difference between the wonderful, earthy Aussie accent, and some trashy cockney or geordie babble, then he should stop remarking on people's accents. Any person wearing a purple sweater and driving a Volvo presents plenty of opportunity for mockery, without needed to slander the Australian dialect.
And if not - then the flamin' galah can get a big black dog up 'im!
What most foreigners never realise is that the difference between Aus-speak and Cockney, apart from our more nasal vowels, is the number of words spoken.
English go on and on and on, embellishing a simple statement.
Aussies prefer understatement. They also prefer to keep their mouths tightly closed most of the time (keeps the flies out). Why a whole sentence when a word will do?
Aus-speak:
'G'day'.
'Yep'.
'See ya'.
That's a whole aussie conversation.
Ah, it's all foreign to us. Though take heart - when we finally complete our absolute rulership of the world, I suspect Australians will be allowed to work inside our houses, what with the fact that at least you speak some form of American and all.
Posted by: Bill from the U S of A at March 19, 2004 at 02:10 PMI dunno Bill from the U S of A, "yep" and "see ya" are pretty standard 'merican English.
Posted by: Harry at March 19, 2004 at 02:21 PMOur troops will be out of Iraq by dawn.
Aren't Australian troops already out of Iraq? I thought only SAS-men were deployed - during the high-intensity part of the war.
Whatsa difference atween Aussies and Brits? You both live onna island, the queen is yer head of state, and ya'll tawk funny.
Posted by: Man Mountain Molehill at March 19, 2004 at 02:51 PMAustralia's an island? Is North-South America an island?
Posted by: Quentin George at March 19, 2004 at 03:24 PMAre you offended by the comparison with lower class English or the purple sweater?
Posted by: Pezza at March 19, 2004 at 03:30 PMThis made me laugh out loud. Brookhiser should edit that entry not because it might offend our friends the Australians but because it makes him sound like a dumb-dumb, which he is not.
Posted by: S.A. Smith at March 19, 2004 at 04:12 PMLast I checked, our troops were still in Iraq, which surprised me a little.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at March 19, 2004 at 05:03 PMThough I suspect given the current goings-on, a few extra SAS types would not go amiss.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at March 19, 2004 at 05:04 PMWhat are you complaining about? At least Australia wasn't insulted by a sock puppet, which caused a major upsurge of anti-Americanism in Canada.
Posted by: Alex Bensky at March 19, 2004 at 10:33 PMShockingly, "no worries" seems to be becoming American. However, it still doesn't end with "mate" here.
Posted by: Mike G at March 19, 2004 at 11:30 PMMike G -- tried to send you note about this "no worries" business, but it bounced. Could you send a message to trblair@ozemail.com.au?
I need to know more!
Posted by: tim at March 20, 2004 at 12:48 AMOk, fine. I hereby resolve to refer to Aussies as "second-hand limeys" in future.
Wouldn't want to offend no kangaroo.
Posted by: mojo at March 20, 2004 at 03:52 AMShouldn't the Australian for "dumb dumb" be "dumbie-dumbie"?
Crikey.
Posted by: Sigivald at March 20, 2004 at 04:39 AM-I- find myself saying "no worries" a lot. But I think it's exposure to this blog and the occasional e-mail my generous readers from down under.
Posted by: Sortelli at March 20, 2004 at 06:24 PM