LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Australian English
built 122 days ago
With foodstuffs Australian English tends to be more closely related to the British vocabulary, eg. biscuit for the American cookie. However in a few cases such as zucchini and eggplant Australian English uses the same terms as the Americans, whereas the British use the equivalent French terms courgette and aubergine. This is possibly due to a fashion that emerged in mid-19th Century Britain of adopting French nouns for foodstuffs, and hence the usage changed in Britain while the original terms were preserved in the (ex-)colonies. Australia, for some uncertain reason... uses the botanical name capsicum for what both British and Americans would call (red or green) peppers.
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Australian English is a non-rhotic variety of English spoken by most native-born Australians. Phonologically, it is one of the most regionally homogeneous language varieties in the world. As with most dialects of English, it is distinguished primarily by its vowel phonology.
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Australian English has a unique set of diminutives formed by adding -o or -ie to the ends of (often abbreviated words). There does not appear to be any particular pattern to which of these suffixes is used. Examples with the -o ending include abo (aborigine - now considered very offensive), arvo (afternoon), servo (service station) and ambo (ambulance officer). Examples of the -ie ending include barbie (barbeque), bikkie (biscuit) and blowie (blowfly). Occasionally, a -za diminutive is used, usually for personal names. Barry becomes Bazza, Karen becomes Kazza and Sharon becomes Shazza.
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Australian English has its distinctive features: its unique slang and vocabulary, often incorporates Aboriginal languages, especially for naming places and natural phenomena. Shortening of words and diminutives is ... quite popular and confuses other English speakers.
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Australian English makes frequent use of diminutives. They can be formed in a number of ways and can be used to indicate familiarity. Some examples include arvo (afternoon), servo ( service station), bottle-o ( bottle-shop), barbie (barbecue), cozzie (swimming costume), footy (Australian rules football or rugby) and mozzie (mosquito). Occasionally, a -za diminutive is used, usually for personal names where the first of multiple syllables ends in an "r" for example Bazza (Barry) and Shazza (Sharon).
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Spoken Australian English does not use many politeness markers. You will notice that Australians use people’s first names once they have been introduced, especially within the age range of 18 to 50. However, “please” and “thank you” are commonly used, and it is important to use them in everyday situations like at a shop or buying a bus or train ticket.
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Australian English