Australians are among the friendliest of peoples with a strongly grounded sense of fair play, enshrined in the Australian language’s phrase fair go. Hence, Fair go, mate, or Give him a fair go.
There have been accusations of Australia being a racist country, particularly when it had its White Australia Policy which barred non-whites from settling in Australia.
This policy has long since gone and there has been a strong drive towards a pluralist multicultural society.
Fair go, mate
Sydney, for instance, is very much a cosmopolitan city and you will find its people so culturally diverse.
A large number of Vietnamese refugees were accepted into Australia, to the extent that one Sydney suburb, Cabramatta, is often humorously (and sometimes disparagingly) called Vietnamatta.
There is some prejudice, particularly against the Aborigines, Asians and recent arrivals, but not quite to the extent of violent racism. Well, fair go, mate.
Understanding Australian
As with most regions in the world, language develops in a unique way among its peoples.
There is no problem with Australians understanding Australian, but Australians may have a problem understanding, say, Americans as Americans may have a problem understanding Australians.
The basic language is the same. But English does take variations wherever it’s spoken, thus American, Cockney, Irish, Australian...
Shorter words and slang
Mainly Australians tend to rush through words, shortening them in pronunciation (and in spelling when abbreviated colloquial forms are used). For instance, the word secretary would normally have four syllables in America. The word, in Australian, sounds more like a three-syllable one. So you could be re-MEM-b'ring that SEC-re-t'ry in SYD-n'm (Sydenham, a suburb in Sydney) or Strawn (Strahan, a town in Tasmania).
There are different words in American and Australian for some identical things. An elevator is a lift, the (car) trunk is the boot, gasoline is petrol, and so on.
And when you think you’ve got the hang of it -- you normally won’t go astray in more or less formal talk -- wait till the Aussies relax in a pub or at a barbecue and be floored by their slang.
Summing up
If you haven’t been to Australia before, a visit to this southern continent should be full of pleasant surprises.
There is the wildlife, for one -- the kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, echidnas, man-eating crocs and even deadly poisonous jellyfish. In the cities, as in Sydney, you’d be hard put finding them but there are quite a few around.
The natural rock formations, the steep cliffs, rainforest gorges, deserts, and the bush -- as we call areas of scrub and forest -- have their own unique, often awesome characteristics. And don’t forget to view Uluru, the world’s largest rock, as it changes hue at sunrise and sunset.
Large continent, mate
The second (and third, fourth, and nth) time you visit Australia you will have a better clue as to which particular area you will enjoy exploring. There’s also the chance to renew acquaintances with your Aussie mates.
It’s a large continent, mate, so take as many times as you wish to visit.
The only other thing left to do is book your tickets and, if you know in advance where you’ll be, your accommodation. Come and say G’day!
