Languages Down Under

People have asked me if I could understand the people in New Zealand and Australia, and yes, we could. Every so often, though, there was phrase that was new to us. Australians say they are famous for shortening words to as few letters as possible to convey the same meaning. In New Zealand, the Maori language is one of the three national languages (English and sign language are the other two). 

In New Zealand it was great seeing Maori words interchanged with English ones, such as on this sign in Te Papa. The ladies rooms were labeled both as Women and Wahini. It came across as natural.

Australia is different. In Australia there are at least 250 different Aboriginal languages spoken today, plus 800 different dialects. One night after dinner, my friend Andrew and I created a list. These are the words we encountered talking to him, but is not meant to be a comprehensive list by any means. Nor is it in any order other than free thoughts.

Bunnings Snag=sausage fundraiser held at Bunnings

Woolly's=Woolworths, side note Don and I now refer to Wegmans as Weggy's, though we don't expect that term to catch on beyond us

Tomato sauce=catsup

Sammie=sandwich (alt. sanga)

Toastie=toasted sandwich

Chook=rotisserie chicken

Servo chook=service station (gas station) rotisserie chicken

rock melon=cantaloupe

rocket salad=arugula

arvo=afternoon

pumpkin=could be pumpkin, but might also be a butternut squash

If Andrew ever reads this, please add more in the comments.