abbrev.
If a grown man came up to you and asked you if you wanted to play Touch, what would you say?
If you're from the UK you'd probably say "Er, I'm not really into guy-on-guy action." If you're a kiwi you'd probably say "Yep, lets really get into some guy-on-guy action" That's because Touch isnt a pervy game of fondling - its a minimal-contact form of rugby.
If the same grown man had asked you if you wanted to play Touch rugby then you'd know exactly what he was asking about - verbal truncations (clearly) lead to misunderstandings. However, the kiwis abbrieviate all the time, mostly by snipping off the last syllable and adding "ies" or "oes" instead and its often left to the hapless pom (yours truly) to figure out what on earth they are talking about.
Scene A: in the DIY store
Yip, it comes in sheets of 600 x 800.
Oh thats too big, can you cut it down?
I can't but you can... if you've got a skilly
(WTF?)
If not, Placies is open tomorrow and you can ask them about MDF shelving.
(I rpt WTF?)
At which point I should have said "Speak the Queen's English man or I'll have you flogged at sunrise"* However, it was left to me to join the dots and extract the true meaning which was: I could trim said wood panel if I had a skill saw (circular saw) and that if I didn't then Placemakers (another DIY store) would be open for further assistance.
*Bonus gag: “My God man, don't you know the Queen's English?”
“Of course, everyone, knows she's English.”
Others that have caused difficulty:
When are we getting those illies in for the preso?
How soon can we expect those illustrations for the client presentation
Its like being back at Kindie
Just like the heady days of nursery school (kindergarten)
However, I've noticed it works both ways when I add a bit of cultural dislocation.
Can you pass me that Fairy Liquid bottle
Kiwis don't know the brand so I just get blank looks.
Get on the dog a & bone and tell the client its all gone Pete Tong and they're avin a Steffi Graaf in they think we can fix it tonight
Cockney rhyming slang stuffs them up good and proper. I get asked "Sorry, was that actually English?" and it is with extreme pleasure and self-righteousness that I answer (in my best Sir John Gielgud voice) "My dear, as we invented the language I should say say it was. Perhaps you should take notes." Glee!
Ah, but its not as "them and us" as it seems - just a bit of fun. Sometimes I understand the gist from the context - its like the Missing Word game everyday.
If you're from the UK you'd probably say "Er, I'm not really into guy-on-guy action." If you're a kiwi you'd probably say "Yep, lets really get into some guy-on-guy action" That's because Touch isnt a pervy game of fondling - its a minimal-contact form of rugby.
If the same grown man had asked you if you wanted to play Touch rugby then you'd know exactly what he was asking about - verbal truncations (clearly) lead to misunderstandings. However, the kiwis abbrieviate all the time, mostly by snipping off the last syllable and adding "ies" or "oes" instead and its often left to the hapless pom (yours truly) to figure out what on earth they are talking about.
Scene A: in the DIY store
Yip, it comes in sheets of 600 x 800.
Oh thats too big, can you cut it down?
I can't but you can... if you've got a skilly
(WTF?)
If not, Placies is open tomorrow and you can ask them about MDF shelving.
(I rpt WTF?)
At which point I should have said "Speak the Queen's English man or I'll have you flogged at sunrise"* However, it was left to me to join the dots and extract the true meaning which was: I could trim said wood panel if I had a skill saw (circular saw) and that if I didn't then Placemakers (another DIY store) would be open for further assistance.
*Bonus gag: “My God man, don't you know the Queen's English?”
“Of course, everyone, knows she's English.”
Others that have caused difficulty:
When are we getting those illies in for the preso?
How soon can we expect those illustrations for the client presentation
Its like being back at Kindie
Just like the heady days of nursery school (kindergarten)
However, I've noticed it works both ways when I add a bit of cultural dislocation.
Can you pass me that Fairy Liquid bottle
Kiwis don't know the brand so I just get blank looks.
Get on the dog a & bone and tell the client its all gone Pete Tong and they're avin a Steffi Graaf in they think we can fix it tonight
Cockney rhyming slang stuffs them up good and proper. I get asked "Sorry, was that actually English?" and it is with extreme pleasure and self-righteousness that I answer (in my best Sir John Gielgud voice) "My dear, as we invented the language I should say say it was. Perhaps you should take notes." Glee!
Ah, but its not as "them and us" as it seems - just a bit of fun. Sometimes I understand the gist from the context - its like the Missing Word game everyday.
posted by Phil at 4:57 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home