Marguerite
Active Member
I've commented on this before. We think of the world as getting smaller, of cultural differences evapotating, of borders blurring. But there are still interesting cultural differences that tap you on te dhoulder unexpectedly.
Dr Phil is touring Australia with his family. So the Aussie media have been giving him plenty of coverage lately (each network claiming "exclusive" interview access - yeah, right!)
This morning it was Weekend Sunrise's turn. And it was a good interview, from the point of view of both the network and Dr Phil. The network asked a couple of stupid questions such as, "You recently came out in support of Britney Spears and offered to give her help. What other high profile celebrities do you see as needing your help, and who have you helped in the past?"
Hey guys, confidential - but Dr Phil fielded it gently and calmly, didn't even mention the word 'confidential' as he discreetly failed to answer.
However, Dr Phil began and ended the interview with the phrase, "Thanks for having me on."
It made me sit up - does he not KNOW what that means here? Then I stopped to think - I've never heard anyone in the US use that phrase. Instead, I hear you say things like, "You're PUTTING me on," or "You're trying to fool me."
But here in Australia - "You've having me on," means "I suddenly don't believe you, I think you're trying to fool me."
If you say it about someone else such as, "It's OK, his wife's plane isn't really shot down over North Korea, we're just having him on," you can see that it can have some nastier overtones to the level of teasing.
Dr Phil's trip is certianly gonig to be VERY interesting to those around him. He tosses out those Texas choice phrases trying to sound so very down-to-earth "I'm an ordinary guy like anyoone else" but here in Australai it can often mean something very different.
Plus we have our own phrases.
If there is the slightest falseness or pomposity about any of them, it will be found and exposed to the light of day, like turning over a rock in the bush to show the millipedes and beasties underneath.
Aussie slang can also be very colourful, sometimes offensive (even when it's not intended to be) and is also very different in a lot of cases.
I love to show people around our country. We have friends who have stayed with us who remain long-temr friends. Others - we never hear form again. One of the latter was visiting with one of the former and we were having breakfast outside under our spreading gum tree. The kids were talking to these friends (both adult church pastors) about their favourite TV shows. A comedy show really big in Australia at the time was a favourite of our kids, but one pastor was horrified when easy child mentioned she loved to watch Full Frontal. We tried to explain that here, it simply refers to the level of "in your face" political satire, but he still could not countenance our kids watching a show with that title, it was too sexually suggestive.
Our other friend had stayed with us before - he smiled quietly and said nothing, just let us fight our own way out of it (which made him an honorary Aussie in our eyes).
A few days later I took the fellas tourist shopping in Circular Quay, down under the Bridge. The uptight pastor was showing me a lovely kangaroo skin change purse he bought, labelled "Kangaroo pouch". There are always loads of these, husband often uses one. They're about as big as the palm of your hand, seamless and with a drawstring around the neck. The other pastor had also bought some but he knew WHAT SORT OF POUCH it really was. After his diatribe the other day, we didn't have the courage to tell our uptihrt friend that the totally seamless change purse he had just bought, was not taken from a female kangaroo, but a male. A particularly delicate part of the male.
We just smiled politely as he stowed away his spare change in his new purchase.
Marg
Dr Phil is touring Australia with his family. So the Aussie media have been giving him plenty of coverage lately (each network claiming "exclusive" interview access - yeah, right!)
This morning it was Weekend Sunrise's turn. And it was a good interview, from the point of view of both the network and Dr Phil. The network asked a couple of stupid questions such as, "You recently came out in support of Britney Spears and offered to give her help. What other high profile celebrities do you see as needing your help, and who have you helped in the past?"
Hey guys, confidential - but Dr Phil fielded it gently and calmly, didn't even mention the word 'confidential' as he discreetly failed to answer.
However, Dr Phil began and ended the interview with the phrase, "Thanks for having me on."
It made me sit up - does he not KNOW what that means here? Then I stopped to think - I've never heard anyone in the US use that phrase. Instead, I hear you say things like, "You're PUTTING me on," or "You're trying to fool me."
But here in Australia - "You've having me on," means "I suddenly don't believe you, I think you're trying to fool me."
If you say it about someone else such as, "It's OK, his wife's plane isn't really shot down over North Korea, we're just having him on," you can see that it can have some nastier overtones to the level of teasing.
Dr Phil's trip is certianly gonig to be VERY interesting to those around him. He tosses out those Texas choice phrases trying to sound so very down-to-earth "I'm an ordinary guy like anyoone else" but here in Australai it can often mean something very different.
Plus we have our own phrases.
If there is the slightest falseness or pomposity about any of them, it will be found and exposed to the light of day, like turning over a rock in the bush to show the millipedes and beasties underneath.
Aussie slang can also be very colourful, sometimes offensive (even when it's not intended to be) and is also very different in a lot of cases.
I love to show people around our country. We have friends who have stayed with us who remain long-temr friends. Others - we never hear form again. One of the latter was visiting with one of the former and we were having breakfast outside under our spreading gum tree. The kids were talking to these friends (both adult church pastors) about their favourite TV shows. A comedy show really big in Australia at the time was a favourite of our kids, but one pastor was horrified when easy child mentioned she loved to watch Full Frontal. We tried to explain that here, it simply refers to the level of "in your face" political satire, but he still could not countenance our kids watching a show with that title, it was too sexually suggestive.
Our other friend had stayed with us before - he smiled quietly and said nothing, just let us fight our own way out of it (which made him an honorary Aussie in our eyes).
A few days later I took the fellas tourist shopping in Circular Quay, down under the Bridge. The uptight pastor was showing me a lovely kangaroo skin change purse he bought, labelled "Kangaroo pouch". There are always loads of these, husband often uses one. They're about as big as the palm of your hand, seamless and with a drawstring around the neck. The other pastor had also bought some but he knew WHAT SORT OF POUCH it really was. After his diatribe the other day, we didn't have the courage to tell our uptihrt friend that the totally seamless change purse he had just bought, was not taken from a female kangaroo, but a male. A particularly delicate part of the male.
We just smiled politely as he stowed away his spare change in his new purchase.
Marg