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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 294598" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>Oh, he did. The context was clear. But for us, thw words have a different meaning. I keptmentally waiting for the "...on your show" but its absence gave the interview a different initial meaning, especiallysince the presenter of the show has a verywicked sense of humour. Which tells me - this interview MUST have been pre-recorded, or he would have said something. It was the female sidekick who did the actual interview.</p><p></p><p>Down Under we 'fight' Americanisms all the time, I walked out to the kitchen after watching that interview to hear difficult child 3 (who was playing a computer game) say something about, "I've got trouble with my hood".</p><p>He was playing one of those car chase games so I said, "You mean trouble with the bonnet of your car? Or do you mean 'neighbourhood'? Because in Australia, we don't refer to 'the hood'. It's neighbourhood, or nothing."</p><p></p><p>But it reminded me - here we are exposed to games, movies and TV shows coming out of the US and so we tend to be increasingly 'bilingual'. We can understand the slang (even if we hate a lot of it) and even can understand the origins of it. difficult child 3 has picked up husband's & my interest in etymology. But we LIVE in Australia and therefore tend to use more Australian idiom.</p><p></p><p>Sis-in-law went to the US as an exchange student in 1978. She was a fairly innocent, nice girl, certainly not a tart in any way at all. She wouldn't use bad language, she would occasionally have a drink at home under parental supervision (which is how it was done here back then). She wasn't the legal drinking age, quite, when she went to the US (it's 18 here, she was 17 at the time).</p><p>But when she got there she found some surprising cultural differences. Words she would never use (the classic Anglo-Saxon four letter words) were thrown around as commonplace and because in Australai back then especially, such words were considered really serious swear words, she was horrified. But words we use often in Australia (for which I will now substitute 'darn' and 'bleeding') totally shocked her host family when she used them. The second of those words is classicaly Australian in how it is used; it is commonplace and not these days considered offensive. We also commonly use words to refer to purgatory in four letters. For us it's not considered swearing and I never understood jokes that found those words offensive. I remember a BC comic strip with one of the characters walking around holding up a sign, "WAR IS HECK". Another character walks up and queries, "Heck?"</p><p>The first character says, "Too right, buddy. This is a FAMILY comic strip!"</p><p></p><p>I never got that.</p><p></p><p>And yet - we were raised on the 10 Commandments especially the one that says, "Do not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." And we lived by it. So did sis-in-law. She was horrified to hear how much her US friends used these words, and yet they were critical of her for some of the words she used.</p><p></p><p>Cultural differences.</p><p></p><p>We had to re-train her when she came home.</p><p></p><p>But she never had to be re-trained on bow to drink Aussie beer! Back then especially, it was a lot stronger than the US stuff and she was drinking all the Iowa blokes under the table from the moment she arrived. This sweet, innocent, clean-talking young lady, who could apparently drink like a fish - quite a phenomenon!</p><p></p><p>Personally, I've never drunk beer. Not even a sip. I can't stand the smell of the stuff. So you don't have to drink beer in Australia, despite what some people might tell you. It is not compulsory.</p><p></p><p>I do find language fascinating.</p><p></p><p>On this site I try to think carefully before I post because I know my words could easily offend, or also easily confuse and baffle. </p><p></p><p>Our pastor friend visited us last year and he delights in the Aussie slang. There were a couple of songs we taught him and every time he visits, he wants us to sing them for him. His wife was with him this time, so we were teaching her as well. There we were, a carload of us barrelling down the highway, loudly singing songs like "Waltzing Matilda" and "G'day G'day". And coaching them on pronunciation!</p><p></p><p>A lot of fun!</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 294598, member: 1991"] Oh, he did. The context was clear. But for us, thw words have a different meaning. I keptmentally waiting for the "...on your show" but its absence gave the interview a different initial meaning, especiallysince the presenter of the show has a verywicked sense of humour. Which tells me - this interview MUST have been pre-recorded, or he would have said something. It was the female sidekick who did the actual interview. Down Under we 'fight' Americanisms all the time, I walked out to the kitchen after watching that interview to hear difficult child 3 (who was playing a computer game) say something about, "I've got trouble with my hood". He was playing one of those car chase games so I said, "You mean trouble with the bonnet of your car? Or do you mean 'neighbourhood'? Because in Australia, we don't refer to 'the hood'. It's neighbourhood, or nothing." But it reminded me - here we are exposed to games, movies and TV shows coming out of the US and so we tend to be increasingly 'bilingual'. We can understand the slang (even if we hate a lot of it) and even can understand the origins of it. difficult child 3 has picked up husband's & my interest in etymology. But we LIVE in Australia and therefore tend to use more Australian idiom. Sis-in-law went to the US as an exchange student in 1978. She was a fairly innocent, nice girl, certainly not a tart in any way at all. She wouldn't use bad language, she would occasionally have a drink at home under parental supervision (which is how it was done here back then). She wasn't the legal drinking age, quite, when she went to the US (it's 18 here, she was 17 at the time). But when she got there she found some surprising cultural differences. Words she would never use (the classic Anglo-Saxon four letter words) were thrown around as commonplace and because in Australai back then especially, such words were considered really serious swear words, she was horrified. But words we use often in Australia (for which I will now substitute 'darn' and 'bleeding') totally shocked her host family when she used them. The second of those words is classicaly Australian in how it is used; it is commonplace and not these days considered offensive. We also commonly use words to refer to purgatory in four letters. For us it's not considered swearing and I never understood jokes that found those words offensive. I remember a BC comic strip with one of the characters walking around holding up a sign, "WAR IS HECK". Another character walks up and queries, "Heck?" The first character says, "Too right, buddy. This is a FAMILY comic strip!" I never got that. And yet - we were raised on the 10 Commandments especially the one that says, "Do not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." And we lived by it. So did sis-in-law. She was horrified to hear how much her US friends used these words, and yet they were critical of her for some of the words she used. Cultural differences. We had to re-train her when she came home. But she never had to be re-trained on bow to drink Aussie beer! Back then especially, it was a lot stronger than the US stuff and she was drinking all the Iowa blokes under the table from the moment she arrived. This sweet, innocent, clean-talking young lady, who could apparently drink like a fish - quite a phenomenon! Personally, I've never drunk beer. Not even a sip. I can't stand the smell of the stuff. So you don't have to drink beer in Australia, despite what some people might tell you. It is not compulsory. I do find language fascinating. On this site I try to think carefully before I post because I know my words could easily offend, or also easily confuse and baffle. Our pastor friend visited us last year and he delights in the Aussie slang. There were a couple of songs we taught him and every time he visits, he wants us to sing them for him. His wife was with him this time, so we were teaching her as well. There we were, a carload of us barrelling down the highway, loudly singing songs like "Waltzing Matilda" and "G'day G'day". And coaching them on pronunciation! A lot of fun! Marg [/QUOTE]
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