Aussies and Kiwis

Transcript: Aussies and Kiwis

When I was a child, looking at maps on the wall of our classroom at school, I got used to the idea that I lived in the bottom right-hand corner of the world. My country was that large continent with the big red rock in the middle, and New Zealand was the two pink islands across the Tasman Sea to the right. I barely even noticed Tasmania.

Besides sitting together at the bottom right-hand corner of the map, and despite the huge difference in the size of their populations, Australia and New Zealand have quite a lot in common. Both countries are home to distinctive and ancient Indigenous people. The Māoris arrived on canoeKanucanoes from Polynesia around the year 1250, giving New Zealand’s two major islands the shortest human history of any habitablebewohnbarhabitable land mass. Australia’s Aboriginal people date back more than 65,000 years, making them one of the world’s oldest continuing civilizations.

Both countries were colonized by the British: Australia from 1788 and New Zealand from 1840. But whereas the British signed a treaty with the Māori, no treaty was ever made with Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. They’re still fighting for Indigenous rights, cultural preservationErhaltung von Kultur und Traditionencultural preservation, self-determination and acknowledgement of historical injustices.

Accents, dialects and melting potSchmelztiegelmelting pots

In New Zealand, the Māori make up 13 per cent of the population. There’s only one Māori language, called te reo Māori. Different regions have their own accents and dialects, but they’re able to understand each other. According to linguists, the Māori language is currently undergoing a revivalWiederbelebungrevival, with both Māori and non-Māori keen to learn.

In Australia, where Aboriginal people account for sth.etw. ausmachenaccount for about three per cent of the population, there are more than 250 Indigenous languages*, including around 800 dialects. Here, too, Aboriginal languages and culture are increasingly being taught in schools. This is especially beneficialförderlich, günstigbeneficial to Aboriginal children, helping them to connect with their cultural heritageKulturerbecultural heritage, keep a strong sense of identity and ensure the continuityFortbestandcontinuity of traditions, stories and values.

Something else that Australia and New Zealand have in common is the vastenormvast number of immigrants who’ve settled in both countries since colonization. They’ve come from all over the world: from Europe, especially Britain, but also from India, China and the Middle East. Both countries are described as “melting pots”, with a colourful blendMischungblend of cultures, religions, histories and languages.

When troops from both countries served together in the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) to help the British Empire’s military operations during the First World War, a narrative was forge sth.etw. schmiedenforged that created a bond of enduringdauerhaft, bleibendenduring friendship between us. It was from this shared experience of courage and “mateship (Aus., NZ)Kameradschaftmateship” on the Western Front that the Aussie (ifml.)Spitzname für Australier(in)Aussie or Kiwi (ifml.)Spitzname für Neuseeländer(in)Kiwi “digger” (soldier) was born – and a kind of slang was born with it.

laid-backgelassen, entspanntLaid-back and chilled

In Australia, no matter what gender you are, you’ll be called “mate”. Similarly, in New Zealand, you’ll be called “bro” (brother) or “cuz” (cousin) by complete strangers, often with the word “chur” thrown in. “Chur” basically means “thank you”, and it shows gratitudeDankbarkeitgratitude or appreciationWertschätzungappreciation – for example: “Shall I help you carry that?” – “Chur, bro!”

Other similarities in Australian and New Zealand slang revolve around sth.sich um etw. drehenrevolve around shared pride in being laid-back and chilled. Typical Australian phrases include “G’day, mate” (Good day, mate), “No worries”, “No problem” and “Too easy”.

New Zealanders (known informally as Kiwis) do the same with their frequent use of “all good”. They’ll tell other people that what they’ve ordered from the menu is “choice as”, that your outfit is “sweet as” or that a new car is “cool as” or “mean as” (fantastic). But if they think that what you’ve bought is “a lemon” (a bad buy), an honest New Zealander might tell you it’s “stink as”.

Put on your “sunnies”

Then, there are the words that Aussies and Kiwis put at the end of their sentences. In Australia, it’s “y’know?” – such as: “Those Kiwis are always saying ‘ay’, y’know?” (This isn’t very different from a German using oder? at the end of a sentence – perhaps an indication that a desire for consensusÜbereinstimmungconsensus may be an underlying human need.) In New Zealand, it’s “ay?”; for example: “It’s hot today, ay?”

If someone is drunk, an Australian will say, “That fella (fellow) (ifml.)Kerl, Typfella’s pissed,” whereas a New Zealander will say he’s “munted”. If a person is funny, an Australian might describe them as “a lark”, whereas a New Zealander will call them “a hard case”.

The other thing Australians love to do is shorten words so that everything sounds endearinglyliebenswertendearingly familiar. (The Brits do this, too, but Aussies do it even more.)

Football is “footy”, a biscuit (UK, Aus., NZ)Keksbiscuit is a “bicky”, breakfast is “brekky”, chewing gum is “chewie”, postmen and postwomen are “posties”, sunglasses are “sunnies”, Christmas is “Chrissie”, a barbecue is a “barbie”, underpants are “undies”, garbage men are “garbos”, mosquitoes are “mozzies”, cigarettes are “ciggies”, MacDonald’s is “Maccas” and pregnant women are “preggers”.

If someone is aggressive, they’re “aggro”, and if they’re devastatedam Boden zerstörtdevastated, they’re “devo”. If they’re definitely devastated, they’re “defo devo”, and if something happened this afternoon, it happened this “arvo”.

We do the same with people’s names: John and David become “Johnno and Davo”. Gary and Barry become “Gazza and Bazza”, and if Bazza’s married to Doreen, he’s married to “Dozza”. And all kids under seven are “nippers”.

“Kuds love fush ’n’ chups”

It wasn’t until I was an adult that I noticed the subtlefeinsubtle difference in our accents.

You can be talking to a Kiwi about dogs, the opera or dinner and not even notice the difference unless they tell you that the dog got “butten by a tuck” (bitten by a tickZecketick), or the opera “ind’d on a sed note” (ended on a sad note), or let you know how much their “kuds love fush ’n’ chups” (kids love fish and chips).

And if Kiwis think I’m making fun of their vowelVokalvowels, they know they can do the same thing with us anytime they want – especially regarding our rural Queenslanders.

“Croikey, mate!” is what Aussie “larrikin” (maverickunkonventionelle Person, Rebellmaverick) Steve Irwin said when he was asked how long he’d been catching crocodiles. “Oiv bin catchin’ crocs since oi wozza nippah!” (I’ve been catching crocodiles since I was a nipper!)

Kiwis could also make fun of our lächerlichridiculousridiculous inflectionIntonation, Tonfallinflections. No other people on the planet insist on ending every sentence on a high note as much as Australians do: As if everything is a question? Even when it’s not? It’s like, ridiculous?

There’s just one thing that Australians and Kiwis fight over, and that’s sport. The Kiwis constantly beat us Australians at rugby – anyone who’s ever seen the All BlacksNeuseeländische Rugby- Union-NationalmannschaftAll Blacks perform the ancient Māori haka war dance at the beginning of a game will understand why. On the other hand, we do beat them at cricket.

We also argue over who was first to make two famous desserts: pavlova (Aus., NZ)Süßspeisepavlova and lamington (Aus., NZ)Biskuitwürfellamington cakes.

And then, there’s Russell Crowe. Mostly, we believe that Australia came up with the cakes, but New Zealand can keep Russell ... unless he wins another Oscar.

* The estimations about the number of indigenous languages in Australia differ greatly.