And here I thought we all spoke English ...

When I made the decision to up sticks and move to England, the one thing I didn’t have to worry about was language – we both speak English, right?

But – that’s just the thing – they do speak English, and not Australian. Whilst we might call it the same thing, there are key differences in everything from slang to pronunciation between the various English dialects, from the United States of America to New Zealand.

Lesson 1: Pronunciation

When I travel, I like to stay in hostels. However when the English travel, apparently they like to stay in hostuls (much like a Kiwi).  Australians pronounce it with two syllables - the second rhyming with ‘tell’; whereas to the English it’s mono-syllabic, almost like the word ‘hostile’.

Data is another word I didn’t realise we pronounce differently. I thought the difference was between the educated (most specifically, the toffee-nosed, plum in mouth brigade); or the Americans and the rest of the English speaking world. But apparently not. I pronounce it like ‘darta’ (as in, rhyming with ‘cart’ –a). The English pronounce it with a strong ‘a’ – ‘dAta’ (as in, rhyming with ‘mate’ –a). Haven’t got this one down pat just yet ….

 Lesson 2: New words

 ‘Proper’ has become my new favourite word. My understanding of ‘proper’ is that you can put it in front of just about any other word to provide emphasis – i.e. ‘I had a proper good time’ means someone had a really good time.

I’ve just about wiped the word ‘soccer’ from my vocabulary, at least whilst speaking to people within the UK. I get dirty looks whenever it accidentally comes out, and no one understands that in Australia we have at least four types of football, and the use of the word is dependent on what state you’re in (I.e. referring to ‘footy’ in Melbourne means AFL, whereas in QLD it would mean rugby league). It’s just easier to use the specific term in the first place.

And then there are the words the English are well-known for: ‘Cash-machine’. ‘Fabulous’. ‘Smashing’ (although this seems to be going out of favour’). ‘Half-five’. ‘Quid’.

Lesson 3: Slang

I called someone a gun the other day. I was a bit afraid I’d offended them, as they had no idea what I referred to. They did come close when they asked if it was something like a ‘sharp-shooter’ though.

In a status meeting, I told the team we had to reduce our dependencies on another team, as they were ‘getting smashed’. Whilst in Australia this has two contexts, one of which refers to being extremely busy, my English team mates looked at me and asked what the other team were doing drunk at 9am ….

Have you ever tried to explain what a ‘bogan’ is to someone who’s not Australian? (Reminds me of the time I had to explain what a ping-pong show was, but let’s not go there …!) It doesn’t help when you tell your colleagues they ‘wear flannies, a wifebeater, pluggers, stubbies/ruggers, and have a mullet’. Bringing the word ‘chav’ or ‘red-neck’ into the conversation helps, although they’re not a one-to-one match …

When Good Words Go Bad

Have you ever said a commonly used word and been convinced it's not real?

Or stared at a printed word and thought to yourself, 'Is that really how that word is spelt?'

This afternoon I watched an episode of 'Say Yes to the Dress' - a TV show following women on their search for the perfect wedding dress. The focus of the episode was on wedding accessories, including veils.

Veils. As soon as the word was spoken, I instantly started repeating it in my head - each time, the word sounding more and more unfamiliar, as if it had been made up.

As if to convince myself that the word was real, I entered it into Google. And although the logic in my head told me (along with Google!) that the word was spelt correctly, I continued to stare at it as if it was the first time I'd seen it.

Has this ever happened to you?

English through text

Until recently, a colleague would message me every morning to collect him from our office lobby due to his lack of access pass. After a few weeks of, "I'm here!" or variations of the theme, he started sending more witty messages:

"Hey Emma, level eleven quick time, and bring your pass 'cause I lost mine, hey Emma!"

"No key, help me! Bring your pass and make it fast!"

"I have a dream. That one day, people will be judged on the content of their character, and not by the colour of their skin. That people without a white pass will still be collected from level eleven"

"I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want ..
Yeah I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want ...
I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna,
I really really wanna get collected from level eleven please"

Just another way words can liven up even the most mundane of tasks.

That, that that that ....

My parents told me of an interesting radio piece they'd heard on a recent drive. A challenge was issued to listeners to create a sentence containing five 'thats' in a row.

Unable to come up with a sentence themselves, they put the challenge to me. I too failed.

The winning sentence?
It is true that: that that, that that man used in that sentence, is wrong.
This sentence, as well as being absurd, can be written in a much cleaner manner. A better way of defining the words would be, 'It is true that the 'that', which that man used in that sentence, is wrong.' 

To carry this topic on even further, I found an example on the internet of a sentence with EIGHT 'thats' in a row!!
"I already told you that: that that "that" (that "that" that that teacher used) was grammatically correct"

How about a sentence containing five 'ands' in a row?

A typesetter was setting type for an advertisement for an inn called The Horse And Cart. His client was proofing the ad. and said;
There is too much spacing between Horse and And, and And and Cart.

Parlez Vous Anglais?

Recently I was asked by a native French speaker how the English language conveys emotion. This got me thinking - why is it that the French language sounds so romantic; Cantonese and Mandarin so angry; and German so authoritative?  I put it down to two factors: expressive intonation and exaggerated enunciation.

Take as an example the French phrase 'Je voudrais', meaning 'I would like'. Whereas an English speaker would pronounce a straight 'Je' as in 'Jerry', the French add an additional letter between the 'J' and the 'e', so the word now sounds like 'Jhe'. 'Voudrais' in turn is broken into two syllables, 'vou' and 'drais', and each syllable is enunciated equally: 'vooooooo' and 'draaaaaai'. The result is a more expressive and fluid, rhythmic phrase.

So what about English?

'Strine', also known as the manner in which Australians butcher the Queen's English, is characteristically fast. Australians do not enunciate. 'How is it going?' turns into 'Howzitgoin?', said in one breath with little emotion. We do not pronounce individual letters nor offer much in terms of intonation. One may argue that the laid-back nature of the Australian language reflects the laissez-faire attitude of Australians in general, just as the idiolect of a French speaker reflects the passion of the French.

I'm starting to make a connection here - is it not the words that are spoken, but more how the words are spoken? Meaning the culture and dynamic of the speaker is the main influence in the evocation of emotion through language?

Were we to turn our attention to the written word, one sees that it is not the language nor individual words that influence emotion, but the thoughts behind the words. Take as an example a few of my favourite pieces of English:

"Those three words; I've said too much; yet not enough"
This is a line from the song 'Chasing Cars' by Snow Patrol, and to me is the most powerful and thought-provoking lyric ever written. There is no complexity - no fancy words; almost all mono-syllabic. Yet somehow, in one brief phase, the band manages to sum up the complexities of saying 'I love you'.

"Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!/ For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night."
Will there ever be a piece of literature more romantic than William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight"
Elizabeth Barrett Browning conveys the 'breadth and depth' of an encompassing love that has withstood the changes of language over centuries.