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August 07, 2003

G'Day

So what is it with the name of this blog? Well?

Different countries have different ways of greeting people. In Australia, one of the most common greeting is G'Day (Good Day) but pronounced more like "Gid-aye". One of the ways this has been imortalised is in a Slim Dusty (famous Australian country music singer) song. The words are available from Lyrics Playground but I'll quote the main verse anyway:


G'day, G'day, how yer goin'?
Whadya know? Well, strike a light!
G'day, G'day, and how yer go-o-o-in'?
Just say g'day, g'day, g'day and you'll be right.

I haven't (yet) found a site where your can hear just the music but there is a site that has some homemade movies on it and about halfway down the page is this one which is set to the tune. Also the ecard from Slims Birthday (July) has links to a number of online stores that carry his music.

What about the rest of the title/subtitle? Well the next part 'Owyagowin Orrite?' often accompanies G'day to make the phrase the equivalent of the English 'How do you do'. Literally it means 'How are you going, (I hope you are) alright?'. Hence the response is 'Carn complain!' - literally 'I can't complain' implying that you are well.

Of course to do this properly, I should refer to a source instead of relying on you to trust my opinion. This is a quote from John O'Grady (Aussie Etiket):


Introductions
Englishmen and Americans are very strong in etiquette when being introduced to you. They have a reputation for politeness, good manners and social grace.
They work to a conventional formula - a system. And it should be stated, here and now, for their information, that their customs are known and understood in Australia. And also, strange as it may seem, often practised by Australians.
We are not famous for politeness, good manners and social grace, but we are capable of these things.
For example, when being introduced to an Englishman, and he hits us with a question - 'How do you do?' - we don't reply with another one, 'How do I do what, mate?' That would wreck his system.
(Englishmen have some wierd conventions or systems. When they don't know you, have not been introduced to you, but want to ask you something, they say 'I say.' And then they shut up and say nothing. If you answer, 'Yes. mate. what do you say?' they become nonplussed and confused.)
Americans generally repeat your name when you are introduced to them. But they also ask a question. They say 'How do you do Mr McGillicuddy?' This is a rude and anatomical enquiry, and if we answered it we would demonstrate that we are ignorant of their formula. Which we are not. We know that they like to remember people's names, so they make sure they hear them twice - once on being introduced and once when they are their biological question.
There exists, however, a native-Australia etiket for introductions, which is honest, genuine, sincere, forthright and informal, and which you Poms and Yanks should know about. A few lines of dialogue will clue you up:
G'day Smithy. Like you to meet a new mate o' mine. He's a Pom.
Well, that probably wasn't his fault. Howyergoin; mate, orright?'
The Pom is silent.
Don't talk much, does he? What'd you say yer name was?
Charles Tebbutt
Charles? You here that Mick? Bloody Charles. Orright, we got it. What'd you like a drop of, Chick?
A few more lines of dialogue:
Hey Cec, come over 'ere and meet a mate o' mine, name of Ed Miller. Ed - this is Cec.
Pleased to meet you.
How do you do, Cec?
Ed's from America.
Yeah? What's a bloody Septic Tank doin' out here? never mind - what're you drinking', Dusty?
And again:
Joey, meat Jean. Jean - this is Joey.
She extends her hand. She says, How do you do?
Doin' all right, love, long as I got your hand to hand onto. Gees, mate, where did you dig her up?
Met her at a party last week.
Wish I'd been there. I'da got in first.
Well, let her hand go, will you? It's mine.
Got the picture? Honest, genuine, sincere, forthright and informal.

In case you were wondering about the 'Septic Tank' it is a big tank in the back yard used when there is no sewage service available (like where I grew up). It is also rhyming slang for 'Yank' (Yankee Doodle) or American.

Posted by Ozguru at August 7, 2003 06:08 PM

Comments

Thanks for the introduction but don't you think the stereotype of the "frank, forthright, honest, genuine, sincere, informal" Australian in some way masks a lot of unacceptable behaviour? For instance in civilized society(which we're all supposed to be belonging to) it's really not all right to say a lot of stuff to someone's face(no matter how honest it might be!). So how do Australians intend living with the rest of the world? I guess the primary reason for such behaviour is the knowledge that you folks(the country i.e.) are big, self-sufficient and isolated enough from the rest of the world to really care two hoots for externally imposed rules...?

Posted by: Jivha at August 7, 2003 06:08 PM

First point you picked up is that it is really just a sterotype. Absolutely. And as such a sterotype tells use more about what we were or what to be than what we are. BUT. The point of the quote was that we know how to behave if required it's just that we often choose not to. You will note that in the situational dialogues, the discussion was between friends not countries. Australia as a whole tends to be better behaved (I think) at a national level. We do tend to take the mickey out of things but that includes ourselves. Where we tend to come unstuck is when other people have a different view of us than we expect them to have. After WW1, we wanted to be involved in the peace discussions (and we would have been more lenient than Great Britain was) but were excluded despite the hugh cost to us in terms of men killed or maimed. As a total number it was large but as a percentage of population it was astronomical. But yes, your premise is right: being "forthright and honest" can be a blind for "obnoxious and hard to get on with".

Posted by: Admin at August 7, 2003 06:08 PM

So how do Australians intend living with the rest of the world?
We'll manage. Some of youse aren't too bad. The real question is, how does the rest of the world intend living with us?
I guess the primary reason for such behaviour is the knowledge that you folks(the country i.e.) are big, self-sufficient and isolated enough from the rest of the world to really care two hoots for externally imposed rules...?
Even if we were anchored somewhere off the Azores, Mid-Atlantic, we'd be much the same. It's not that we can't be as pompous, arrogant, and full of our own self-importance as some <name="France">nations</name>. We merely eschew redundant obfuscation and polysyllabic pedantry, since everyone knows Aussies are plain-talking, "Bewdy, Strewth, She'll be Right" types. Saves us no end of bother.

Posted by: Alan E Brain at August 7, 2003 06:08 PM