corollary: The Aussie -o, and a great worm story

Friday, 4 June 2004

The Aussie `-o`, and a great worm story

Listening to:

Mozart, Sinfonia Concertante in E flat, K.364.

I’ve recently been noticing the truth of a claim I first read about a while ago: when Australians want to form a diminutive, they often add o. For example, a bottle-o is a bottle shop, or what an American would call a liquor store. A book I spotted in a shop recently was a DIY volume, all about how to do renos (renovations), and at a catered buffet meal I went to on Monday evening, the vegetarian plate of sandwiches was helpfully identified as the vego meal.

This is yet another way of distinguishing Australians and New Zealanders: I’m pretty confident that you’d never hear any of the above in New Zealand English. (This list features more examples that I can’t claim to have heard myself: garbo, and servo.)

And if you felt that was all a bit abstruse, I’m sure you’ll just love this story about a man and his tapeworm (it’s very amusing, and not really that gross, honest).

Comments

You mean abbreviated form, rather than diminutive, surely — a diminutive expressing a smaller form of whatever is denoted by the word, rather than of the word itself.

Posted by: Jamie at June 4, 2004 07:55 PM

Nope,I think I do mean diminutive in the sense of “implying smallness, either actual or imputed in token of affection, scorn, etc.” (from my dictionary). So these are words describing things that aren't actually small but are being regarded with affection, or patronisingly or whatever.

Posted by: Michael at June 6, 2004 06:40 PM

Ah, okay — it wasn’t obvious that the usage was one of affection. That’s Australians for you, having an affectionate term for renovations and bottle stores!

Posted by: Jamie at June 7, 2004 10:04 AM

Further, it seems the Australian -o used in nicknames is the equivalent of the New Zealand -y. Compare Cully, Zinny and Fitzy with Campo and, er, other Australian rugby players.

Posted by: Jamie at June 11, 2004 04:00 PM

I can attest to garbo, and sometimes I have been called "Mark-o".

The -o nickname ending doesn't always work. There is also an alternative -zza nickname ending in use. Jamie, you could be a "Jazza".

I think neither would work for Michael, though he could be a "Mikey". (Just like NZ?)

Posted by: Mark at June 11, 2004 04:57 PM