Say it with me: “Mel-Bin”

The Rosetta Stone has a mini version of itself called “Aussie for Dummies”…or if they don’t, they should.  Although Australia is technically an English speaking country (though no official language exists) walking through the city you would beg to differ.

Melbourne (“Mel-Bin”) is an extremely diverse city teeming with every nationality you can think of. China Town, Little Greece and Little Italy are only the recognized neighborhoods, but you better believe there is a Little Vietnam, Little France and Little Havana just waiting to be put on the official map. With this amalgamation of ethnicities it’s not hard to expect that some variations in the common language would develop. What was unexpected was how difficult that can make understanding even the simplest words, leaving you teasing out “One” when you could’ve sworn you’d heard any of the following: Noon, No-one, You.

And don’t even get me started on Aussie English…yes I believe there is a difference. Here is a list of the most common Aussie terms that we had to learn rather quickly in order to avoid being labeled “Grade A Idiot”:

–Jumper – Kangaroo? Unfortunately not. Much like their British Crown, Aussies refer to sweaters as jumpers. For use in a sentence: You might need a jumper, it’s quite chilly out”

–No Worries – Well, okay this one is simple, but they use it here instead of No Problem. Ever wonder how frequently Americans use that phrase? Just try replacing it with No Worries. I promise you will be astounded.

–Mate – Male friend. Honestly I haven’t been able to use this one without giggling so I just haven’t yet. I can’t imagine that it would sound very natural coming from me…and lords forbid someone finds out I’m not actually from here…shhh!

–Sunnies – Sunglasses. A general rule here is that if you can abbreviate it, do it.

–Footy – Aussie Rules Football. Crazy game that generates passionate rivalry and rampant unscheduled time off since every single weekday game has a packed stadium of 20-40 somethings. We have plans to watch a match live…stay tuned.

–Barack – we once asked who they rooted for in the aforementioned footy matches. To which they replied “Rooted? I’ll bet you’re from West Virginia!” Turns out Aussie’s don’t root, they Barack (“Bear-ack”…not like Mr. Obama’s first name) for their team of choice.

–Freshy/Salty – Crocodiles – either fresh water dwelling or salt water dwelling. If it’s a Salty – run!

–Brekkie – Breakfast. “Would you like a hot brekkie” was the phrase I answered yes to prior to having creamer spilt all over me on our flight to Oz.

–Cheers – This can mean either: Goodbye or Thanks or both. After purchasing something clerks will say “Cheers”. After warning someone they are about to trip on an untied trainer they will say “Cheers” as they stop to tie their tennies. Have yet to hear someone say Cheers while holding a drink…my own voice doesn’t count (old habits die hard).

Let’s put them all together to give you a taste of what ‘language’ you hear while walking through the city on any given day.

“After brekkie I’m going to go play some footy, you should come barack for us mate! Might need your sunnies and a jumper for later. Oh, and watch out for Salties…no worries mate, cheers!”

Always wanted to learn multiple languages…move over French, there’s a newbie in town.