00:00:00
Speaker 1: We've been talking Kate, all things ossie slang this morning, haven't we. We've got some new entries into the Oxford English Dictionary. That was yenna, donkey vote and check out chick, which is my personal favorite of the three all made entries in. We add these words every year from our vocabulary that's uniquely Australian. So to talk to us more about this, Kate Burridge joins us now Professor of Linguistics from Monash University. Top of the morning to you, Kate, how are you?
00:00:28
Speaker 2: And I'm well, thank you, Top of the morning to you too.
00:00:32
Speaker 1: There's so many great entries that we see every year make it into the Oxford English Dictionary. What are your thoughts on this year this year's tree.
00:00:41
Speaker 2: Well, they're following a trend, aren't they. I think it wasn't that long ago when they added, you know, things like grogging on and no workers and no furries. I think the trend is obviously that it's scruffy slang that's entering the dictionary faster than ever before. And of course Australians have always contributed largely in this area of a lexicon, so I think it's fascinating and many people might think that you know they're surely you know they're not going to be around. They're just you know, fast and furious slang that won't endure. But trust me, these will have been attracted within an inch of their lives. Dictionary, particularly the Oxford English Dictionary, you know, never takes these entries lightly because once these words are in the dictionary, they never ever leave. This is a dictionary that never loses words exactly.
00:01:27
Speaker 1: And Ossie's do it so well, as you say, Kate, they you know, we love using our slang words. We love shortening words. Is that something that's quite unique, uniquely Australian or do a lot of languages around the world love to do this as well.
00:01:40
Speaker 2: Oh no, I think it's a natural thing to shorten words, particularly words. You know, when you're in familiar territory anyway, you would you know, take shortcuts, wouldn't you. And it's the same with language. So if these words are used a lot, then then you will typically shorten them. But I've adding an e ending as in scumjee. I think that was another one. Scongies. You know they're swimming well, I mean, I don't know what what item of clothing do you understand by scungies. I think there's a range of references.
00:02:10
Speaker 1: I reference underwear if you've got really bad you know, the bad ones that you don't like it, that stay in the bottom of your drawer and you get to on what you know, it's washing days, so you have to wear your scungy undies.
00:02:20
Speaker 2: Yes, yeah, it's probably, but I think it's favors as well, or swimmers or togs or which of course goes by many different names around Australia. But that one certainly has appeared, and a lot of other shortenings, some of them are coming. I think through Bluey, some of these expressions that Bluey's managed to spread the word. But but you're right, Australian slang has special significance. All languages have colloquial versions of vocabulary, but for Australians it's it's always meant something. It's very significant. We talk about slang more than other English speakers. We talk about Ozzie slang too, which is interesting. Whereas you know, we have this sort of homegrown variant that we love. Okay, is that something that's happened sort of more recently that we do tend to shorten words and there is more slang that's now being i guess accepted or recognized within things like the dictionary. More more that what you just said at the end there. You know, that's the fact that they're entering the dictionaries. Once upon a time they would have entered slang dictionaries, but not these mainstream dictionaries like the Macquarie or the Oxford English Dictionary, the Australian National Dictionary. It'snot block entered this this year. I mean, that's been in the Australian National dictionaries quite some time. But you know, it's that It's very interesting because the Australian National Dictionary never ever branded words, you know, colloquial or informal, or they felt they couldn't. The editors thought it was too difficult in Australia because you know, this this blurry line between formal and informal and public and private and writing and speech. It just doesn't work in Australia because we've always been very informal. And now that you know, the rest of the world's catching up with this, I think it's just as simple as that.
00:04:04
Speaker 1: And how long how long does a word need to be around in the general vocabulary to make it into the dictionary because obviously a lot of slang words tend to be in the realm of really young people, and most of the time we don't understand what our kids are talking about. When they're introducing you know, six seven or skivity or any of these, they won't last no, okay. So there is a difference between that kind of language that's used by younger people and words that will generally enter the conversation.
00:04:34
Speaker 2: Yes, and older people generate slang as well, but you're absolutely right, they don't laugh. And it's something I've been trying to figure out. You know, what's the perfect storm that helps a slang word survive. I mean, look at Selfie, which is Australia's contribution to the rest of the world. I mean, that's an international rock star now, you know, and that I mean obviously that feels the need, but certainly a lot handy than self portrait photograph. Yeah, it's one of these tricky questions. Sometimes celebrity endorsement helper. Certainly Selfie. You shot around the world with that dreadful song called Selfie We're meant to be dreadful, but it went viral, so and the word went viral and then you've got celebrities taking selfies and before you know it, it's it's on the international stage, like Okay, which is another rock star not Australian, but that's American, that one.
00:05:28
Speaker 1: So Kate quickly to finish. What word would you like to see added in terms of ossie slang in the Oxford Dictionary?
00:05:35
Speaker 2: Oh gosh, well, I'm just delighted to see yea nut has finally made it into the Oxford English Dictionary, because we've been tracking that word for some time in Australia and now it's made it in the dictionary.
00:05:50
Speaker 1: It certainly has well, it's good to have the endorsement of a linguist in that one as well. We do love that one too. But thanks so much for your time, Kate. That was really interesting, my pleasure.
00:06:01
Speaker 2: Thank you, Kate Barratt, Professor
00:06:02
Speaker 1: Of Linguistics from Nash University,
Speaker 1: We've been talking Kate, all things ossie slang this morning, haven't we. We've got some new entries into the Oxford English Dictionary. That was yenna, donkey vote and check out chick, which is my personal favorite of the three all made entries in. We add these words every year from our vocabulary that's uniquely Australian. So to talk to us more about this, Kate Burridge joins us now Professor of Linguistics from Monash University. Top of the morning to you, Kate, how are you?
00:00:28
Speaker 2: And I'm well, thank you, Top of the morning to you too.
00:00:32
Speaker 1: There's so many great entries that we see every year make it into the Oxford English Dictionary. What are your thoughts on this year this year's tree.
00:00:41
Speaker 2: Well, they're following a trend, aren't they. I think it wasn't that long ago when they added, you know, things like grogging on and no workers and no furries. I think the trend is obviously that it's scruffy slang that's entering the dictionary faster than ever before. And of course Australians have always contributed largely in this area of a lexicon, so I think it's fascinating and many people might think that you know they're surely you know they're not going to be around. They're just you know, fast and furious slang that won't endure. But trust me, these will have been attracted within an inch of their lives. Dictionary, particularly the Oxford English Dictionary, you know, never takes these entries lightly because once these words are in the dictionary, they never ever leave. This is a dictionary that never loses words exactly.
00:01:27
Speaker 1: And Ossie's do it so well, as you say, Kate, they you know, we love using our slang words. We love shortening words. Is that something that's quite unique, uniquely Australian or do a lot of languages around the world love to do this as well.
00:01:40
Speaker 2: Oh no, I think it's a natural thing to shorten words, particularly words. You know, when you're in familiar territory anyway, you would you know, take shortcuts, wouldn't you. And it's the same with language. So if these words are used a lot, then then you will typically shorten them. But I've adding an e ending as in scumjee. I think that was another one. Scongies. You know they're swimming well, I mean, I don't know what what item of clothing do you understand by scungies. I think there's a range of references.
00:02:10
Speaker 1: I reference underwear if you've got really bad you know, the bad ones that you don't like it, that stay in the bottom of your drawer and you get to on what you know, it's washing days, so you have to wear your scungy undies.
00:02:20
Speaker 2: Yes, yeah, it's probably, but I think it's favors as well, or swimmers or togs or which of course goes by many different names around Australia. But that one certainly has appeared, and a lot of other shortenings, some of them are coming. I think through Bluey, some of these expressions that Bluey's managed to spread the word. But but you're right, Australian slang has special significance. All languages have colloquial versions of vocabulary, but for Australians it's it's always meant something. It's very significant. We talk about slang more than other English speakers. We talk about Ozzie slang too, which is interesting. Whereas you know, we have this sort of homegrown variant that we love. Okay, is that something that's happened sort of more recently that we do tend to shorten words and there is more slang that's now being i guess accepted or recognized within things like the dictionary. More more that what you just said at the end there. You know, that's the fact that they're entering the dictionaries. Once upon a time they would have entered slang dictionaries, but not these mainstream dictionaries like the Macquarie or the Oxford English Dictionary, the Australian National Dictionary. It'snot block entered this this year. I mean, that's been in the Australian National dictionaries quite some time. But you know, it's that It's very interesting because the Australian National Dictionary never ever branded words, you know, colloquial or informal, or they felt they couldn't. The editors thought it was too difficult in Australia because you know, this this blurry line between formal and informal and public and private and writing and speech. It just doesn't work in Australia because we've always been very informal. And now that you know, the rest of the world's catching up with this, I think it's just as simple as that.
00:04:04
Speaker 1: And how long how long does a word need to be around in the general vocabulary to make it into the dictionary because obviously a lot of slang words tend to be in the realm of really young people, and most of the time we don't understand what our kids are talking about. When they're introducing you know, six seven or skivity or any of these, they won't last no, okay. So there is a difference between that kind of language that's used by younger people and words that will generally enter the conversation.
00:04:34
Speaker 2: Yes, and older people generate slang as well, but you're absolutely right, they don't laugh. And it's something I've been trying to figure out. You know, what's the perfect storm that helps a slang word survive. I mean, look at Selfie, which is Australia's contribution to the rest of the world. I mean, that's an international rock star now, you know, and that I mean obviously that feels the need, but certainly a lot handy than self portrait photograph. Yeah, it's one of these tricky questions. Sometimes celebrity endorsement helper. Certainly Selfie. You shot around the world with that dreadful song called Selfie We're meant to be dreadful, but it went viral, so and the word went viral and then you've got celebrities taking selfies and before you know it, it's it's on the international stage, like Okay, which is another rock star not Australian, but that's American, that one.
00:05:28
Speaker 1: So Kate quickly to finish. What word would you like to see added in terms of ossie slang in the Oxford Dictionary?
00:05:35
Speaker 2: Oh gosh, well, I'm just delighted to see yea nut has finally made it into the Oxford English Dictionary, because we've been tracking that word for some time in Australia and now it's made it in the dictionary.
00:05:50
Speaker 1: It certainly has well, it's good to have the endorsement of a linguist in that one as well. We do love that one too. But thanks so much for your time, Kate. That was really interesting, my pleasure.
00:06:01
Speaker 2: Thank you, Kate Barratt, Professor
00:06:02
Speaker 1: Of Linguistics from Nash University,
