Regional phrases & expressions

[dreampegasus]

When we relocated, even the very basic way of conversation was confusing me...

At home if I needed to take something, we simply ask

'Can I take it?' and the response'd be 'yes take it'...period.

Here, when I asked 'Can I tyke this book?', it took several mins for the other person to understand...when he finally did, he replied

'you can bring home'

...my turn to be baffeled... I was thinking what the hell he is talking about bringing back from home...doesn't he know that am asking this stuff???

now I've blend well, that people dont think am foreign!

[hhope1]

Where did you relocate to? I know that some cultures do things grammatically opposite to american style of grammar. For example in parts of South America if someones at the door and you are going to answer it. You will yell 'going' as you are coming to the door instead of saying 'coming' as we do in the states.

[sugarglider]

If you ever visit Australia, don't be too alarmed if a shop assistant approaches you and asks you if you're alright.

Shop assistants here often ask "Are you alright?" or just "Are you right, there?" when they mean "Do you require any assistance?" or "Do you need anything?" and "Do you have any questions or queries?"

It all seems perfectly normal when you live here, but I can see how it might be confusing to a visitor. A friend who came here from Portugal once told me the first time she went into a shop in Australia and was asked if she was alright, she thought "Why, what's wrong, do I look alright? Do I look sick?"

[humpty]

lol

that's funny, i mean no disrespect to Australians and their language, I just find it funny, and yeah, tourists would definitely find it strange and start wondering if they look sick or anything lol

[slutty87]

thats' a really really weird way of saying thing,
i wonder how they come about with that phrase, i though only in hollywood movies they'll say "ya alrite?"

usually from those cool hip-hop looking dudes only, din know real people actually use it hahhahaha

[kowiamay]

In Southern California, everyone calls drinks like CocaCola, Pepsi, and Mountain Dew "soda". When I moved to Washington, I discovered everyone called them "pop". Before I realized this, I was in line at the school cafeteria and the checkout lady asked me "Is it pop?" but what I heard was "Is it pot?" I thought, wow, they're even more liberal here than in California!