B4 Travel Blog #4

---

Question- How do people in Australia interact with one another and how does the language differ from that of the United States?

Articles- http://www.aussie-info.com/identity/language/ & http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/people_culture.html

When many think of being greeted by an Australian, they think of hearing "G'day mate" in a thick Australian accent. The truth is that's not exactly how all people in Australia are though. The people of Australia are generally nice people, who are welcoming to all they meet. They are also expected to follow Australia's customs, some of which include respect for equal worth, dignity and freedom of the individual and peacefulness. Over all the people of Australia are very welcoming and kind when interacting with one another. The dominant language of Australia is English; however, many of the words that may be used down under have very different meanings in the U.S.. Many everyday words have odd meanings when it comes to the Australian language. A few interesting include: "arvo" meaning afternoon, "grumblebum" meaning a complainer, "rock up" meaning to arrive, "exy" meaning expensive, "fruit loop" meaning a crazy person, and "thongs" meaning flip flops. These are just a few of the many that are used in different context down in Australia.

From both articles, there was much to learn about Australia and its culture. Although there are many stereotypes on Australia and its people, it is actually very hard to have one correct one. Everyone is very different, and while they all share a few customs- everyone is unique. As for language, it was interesting to see how very basic words can be interpreted differently depending on the country you're in. Many of the words can be insults or random words that sound funny. Reading into Australian's culture and the customs, I learned that it is unique in its own way, and was very fascinating to learn about.

---