Something that confused me for a long time about Australians is their ability shorten long words down by using -o.
So for example:
"Hey Damian, don't forget to write up that documentation this afternoon so we can send it to Fremantle."
becomes
"Hey Damo, don't forget to write up that doco this arvo so we can send it to Freo."
Of course, the chances of so many abbreviated words in the same sentence is pretty unlikely, but still it freaked me out when I first heard a co-worker asking me if I had read the "doco".
Me: Sorry, what's a doco?
Co-worker: You know, doco. Guides. Manuals, Doco...
Me: Oh, you mean documentation?
Co-worker: Well if you want to get all lardy dah about it...
At first I thought it might just be me, but oh no, its something that other non-Australians have picked up on as well and was equally confusing to them too.
Is there some rule that applies to how and when you can use the -o abbreviation, I wonder?
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4 comments:
I'm an Aussie and it confuses me if I think about. Actually maybe that's the trick, to not think about it ;)
Ocker slang is a funny language, much like Cockney.
My nickname in school was Patto, while some of my friends were known as Harro, Jonno, and Sevvo.
Did you ever catch Austen Tayshus act "Australiana"? The transcript is here and it uses the actual words/places/names that Austen is taking the piss out of (along with their actual meanings) but to really get the most out of it you need to actually hear it. Fortunately Google have a video of Austen doing a stand-up gig. Just be warned, there's a little bit of profanity and improv as he heckles someone in the crowd, but he still sticks to the transcript fairly closely.
Each community, and every country has its own different changes.
@Work, they make things longer: "Hey Damian, don't forget to write up that documentation-thingie this afternoon so we can send it to that Fremantle-guy."
My family, makes everything sound smaller: "Oi Daminho, don't forget to write up that doc at lunch time so we can send it to Fremantinho."
hmm, I thought "doco" meant "documentary", not "documentation".
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