AUSTRALIAN ENGLISH: a little guide

Australians speak the language that was handed down to their predecessors by England, but a lot has changed in a couple of hundred years. The accent is now distinctive, with its different vowel sounds and its rising intonation in almost every sentence, as if they were asking a question all the time. The vocabulary is sometimes different too.
To see some examples I show you Waltzing Matilda lyrics where we can find some words that differ from British English:


WALTZING MATILDA

Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong
Under the shade of a Coolabah tree,
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled
"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda, with me?"

Chorus
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda, with me
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled:
"You'll come a-waltzing Matilda, with me."

Down came a jumbuck to drink at the billabong.
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee.
And he sang as he shoved that jumpbuck in his tucker bag:
"You'll come a-waltzing Matilda, with me."

Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
"You'll come a-waltzing Matilda, with me",
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag:
"You'll come a-waltzing Matilda, with me."

Down came the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred.
Down came the troopers, one, two, and three.
"Whose is that jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda, with me."

Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
"You'll come a-waltzing Matilda, with me",
"Whose is that jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda, with me."

Up jumped the swagman and he sprang into the billabong.
"You'll never take me alive!" said he
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong:
"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda, with me?"

Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
"You'll come a-waltzing Matilda, with me",
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong:

"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda, with me?" 

EXPLANATION OF AUSTRALIAN SLANG IN THE SONG


Billabong: A water hole.

Billy: A can or small kettle used to boil water for tea.

Coolabah tree: A type of native tree in Australia.

Jumpbuck: A sheep. There are 20 times as many sheep as there are people in Australia.

Squatter: an illegal occupier of crown land. At one time, squatters claimed (seized) land for themselves in addition to land that they had been granted. Eventually through the continuous occupation of the land, their claims were legitimised in the eyes of the law.

Swagman: Someone who lives on the open road. A hobo. The term came from the canvas bag that they would carry their bedroll and/or belongings in.

Trooper: In Australia's early days, there was no police force. The colony was protected by soldiers and even when a police force was eventually formed, they were still referred to as "troopers".

Tucker bag: a bag for storing food in the bush.

• Do you want to practise and learn some more Australian English?

Here you have a link to a webpage where you can find a very interesting game to learn some new vocabulary from the Antipodes:
-Game: Can you speak Australian English? :)


...and two funny videos where Australian English is presented and explained:

-How to do an Australian accent

-Australian slang



ENJOY!! CHEERIO!!