Quoting Gaelyne Gasson to Neil Skepper in message dated 23 Aug 1996:

 NS> GG> No, I just wanted my kids to HEAR it right!!
 NS>
 NS> GG> Mike is forever saying  Ossie instead
 NS> GG> Ozzie, and it just gets worse
 NS> GG> from there.
 NS>
 NS> He's only repeating what he's heard in the media.

 GG> But he has a perfect example of bonza Ozzie speech but just makes
 GG> me repeat what I've said and says "Oh," disinterestedly.

 GG> Just the other day I  was looking at a wreck of a car and commented
 GG> to no one in particular "She's stuffed, mate."   Got funny looks
 GG> for it. 

 GG> Getting tea the other day, I reached for my plate so more food
 GG> wouldn't be added to it and said "I'm alright, jack" ... 
"HUH?"  
 GG> Oh, never mind I said.

Try to picture a reverse situation. An Aussie spending time in the US then
returning to their family and spouting phrases like "missing you
already" etc.
They'd get more than blank looks  8-)
 
 GG> It's a real bummer when you either have to explain the meaning of
 GG> something or are met with disinterest. Then there's the times I
 GG> have both.  Oh, never mind is becoming a standard.  :-(

Maybe they harbour a resentment towards Australia for "taking you away"?

 NS> You think with all those orthodontists and speech pathologists
 NS> over there they'd get it right  8-)

 GG>    Fersure.

Like, Oh-my-god! Bitchin'!

Ever heard Frank Zappa's "Valley Girl"?

 NS> In Melbourne it's "Pitt Street to the Quay? Twenty Dolla. No put
 NS> feet on dash."

 GG> You know, I was REALLY tempted to write on my immigration papers
 GG> that I want to immigrate to Australia so I could become a taxi
 GG> driver.  ;-) 

There's 7,368 Greeks and Italians in the line before you.  8-)
Anyway, Bzzzt! You failed your first True Blue Aussie Test.
Pitt St and Circular Quay are in Sydney, not Melbourne. 8-)

 NS> GG> It works both ways though. I truly ROFL'd the first time I
 NS> GG> heard the commercial come on Australian tv for the movie
 NS> GG> "White Men Can't Jump", with an Australian announcer reading
 NS> GG> the name of the movie. 
 NS>
 NS> We speak bloody bonza you silly yank tart.  8-)

 GG> Sure do, but that title required vernacular.    ;-)

 GG> That's ok...  you should hear the bloody fake Aussie accents used
 GG> on radio commercials for the Outback restaurants.      At
 GG> least with the movie above the announcer didn't even try to do an
 GG> American black accent.  (Tho that would have been interesting). 
 GG> 

Yep, it wouldn't take too much effort to rustle up a legit Yank or Aussie
to do the voices. Some of these TV types have a rather inflated opinion
about the quality of their impersonations  8-)

GG> Cheers,
Cheers,

Neil.

--- timEd/386 1.10