From Sheila to Shazza: Your Aussie Nickname Masterclass

You're listening to English with an Aussie, the #1 podcast spoken entirely in slow English.

Welcome everybody! My name is Adriana, an experienced English teacher from Down Under. I have created this podcast for international students, professionals and intermediate ESL speakers who are planning their new lives in Australia. Each episode I will share an interesting aspect about the Australian culture. In addition to this, you will find many grammatical lessons to help you start speaking like a native in no time!

Did you know that almost half of Australia’s population admit that they are known by their nickname over their real name? In today's episode we’ll be diving into the hilarious world of Australian nicknames. Whether it be to make people feel more comfortable, or to have a laugh with friends - one thing is for sure, nicknames continue to be a permanent part of the Aussie identity. Stay tuned to find out how to create one for yourself!

Chapters

• 2:00 An Introduction to Australian Nicknames
• 3:50 Where Did Aussie Nicknames Originate From?
• 5:42 Categorising Nicknames to Make Things Easier
• 6:14 Category #1 Synonyms for the word "mate"
• 7:09 Category #2 Terms of Endearment
• 8:13 Category #3 Modified Versions of Your First Name or Surname
• 10:35 Category #4 Inventing Nicknames Based on Personality, Physical Traits, Inner Jokes or Culture.
• 12:10 A Guide to Create Your Own Nickname
• 16:09 A review of the lesson and what's coming up next episode.

Transcript

 What’s Your Australian Nickname? 🇦🇺

Episode 007 | #EnglishwithanAussie

JINGLE:

Hello everybody and welcome. I’m your host Adriana, and you're listening to English with an Aussie, the no. 1 podcast spoken entirely in slow English.

INTRODUCTION: 
In today's episode we’ll be diving into the hilarious world of Australian nicknames. If you currently live in Australia, you would know that Aussies have a true appreciation for nicknames. Whether it be to make people feel more comfortable, or to have a laugh with friends - one thing is for sure, nicknames continue to be a permanent part of the Aussie identity. Today you’ll be learning all about Australia’s obsession with nicknames. To make things easier, I have prepared a guide in which you can use to understand nicknames better. Finally, I’ll be teaching you how to create your very own Aussie nickname so that you can fit right in! Let’s have a few laughs today and help you start sounding more like a native speaker! Well, without further adieu, let’s jump in.

AUSTRALIA’S OBSESSION WITH NICKNAMES.
It’s fair to say that Australians love inventing nicknames for eachother. However, nicknames are MORE than just a shortening or playful slang between friends. Nicknames hold deep cultural significance and are a beautiful representation of our nation's geography, history, lifestyle and sense of humour. Through these nicknames, we can see the character of the nation shining through. Did you know that almost half of Australia’s population admit that they are known by their nickname over their real name? In fact, it was found that the average Australian has at least three nicknames during their lifetime - meaning that nicknames aren’t always a constant thing, but can change due to time periods or personal experiences. 

Let’s take the country's name ‘Australia’ for instance. You might be familiar with “The Land Down Under” or “The Great Southern Land”, both of which refer to the country's placement below the equator. I’ve even heard some television programs refer to Australia as “The Lucky Country” due to our strong economy, great weather and endless opportunities. The art of nicknaming can be traced back to 3 distinct colonial groups in Australia during the 1800’s. (1) The Australian Bushrangers (2) The migrants who settled in Australia due to the Gold Rush, and (3) the East Enders of England who brought along their Cockney Rhyming slang. Speaking in codes and using nicknames were a way to connect with friends and speak without being understood by others. Fast forward to 2024, our local lexicon has evolved substantially, and in my opinion, will continue to evolve for the future to come. Now, before we dive into today’s content, I will give you a piece of advice. If you are new to the country, don’t get confused when the natives refer to Australia as ‘Straya’, spelt S T R A Y A. You see, Australian’s love shortening words to make them easier to roll off the tongue. So it’s no surprise - that the word Australia had to be shortened. 

NICKNAME CATEGORIES:
Now, you might have heard the phrase - ‘never ask a lady her age’. But in this case, I will make an exception. Over my 31 years of being an Australian, you can imagine I’ve heard my fair share of nicknames. So, I have broken these nicknames down into 4 distinguishable categories. 

#1
The first category is synonyms for the word ‘friend’. During conversations Australians love to include the word ‘friend’ in their sentences . For example, “ahh, you know what my friend, it’s gunna be a nice day today!” Sometime’s if they don’t know you, they will use the word ‘mate’ in place of your name, for example ‘how ya going mate, it’s nice to meet you?’. However it doesn’t end there. Synonyms such as ‘buddy’, ‘pal’, ‘legend’ and ‘cobber’ are used as well, so keep your ears out for these! 

#2
The second category of nicknames are those used among family members and significant others. These are what we call ‘terms of endearment’ or ‘expressions of love and affection’. If you are a married couple you might notice people using the terms ‘hubby’ (short for husband), ‘wifey’, ‘baby’, ‘darling’ or even ‘my other half’. Parents might refer to their sons and daughters as ‘sweetheart’, ‘angel’, ‘bug’, ‘squirt’ or ‘cutie-pie’. Or if you’ve got a mum like me, she likes to incorporate as many as possible into the one sentence for extra affect. 

#3
The third category are nicknames that are a modified version of your actual name or surname. Let’s take my first name Adriana as an example, I’m often called ‘Addi’, ‘Adi’ or ‘Adz’. My last name Cefala often gets shortened to ‘Cef’. My name might also get modified to something like ‘banana’ because it rhymes with Adriana. Now being that my name is Italian mine isn’t subject to the usual modification of English and Australian names. So here’s where it can get confusing. If you do have an English name, Australians love to add an -o onto the end of things. So, if you’ve got a name like Johnanthan you will become ‘Johnno’, Damien will becomes ‘Damo’ and the last name Robertson will become ‘Robbo’. If your name doesn’t work with an -o then an -azza can be added instead. So if your name is Barry you will become ‘Bazza’ and if your name is Sharon then you will become ‘Shazza’. Some names just get a simple ‘z’ on the end like ‘Maddie’ becomes ‘Madz’. The last way you can modify your name is by taking your last name and adding either an -ie or a -y. So if your last name is ‘Smith’ you will become ‘Smithy’, and ‘Jones’ becomes ‘Jonesy. I know, I know this all sounds very confusing, but over time you will get the hang of it.

#4
Alright it’s time for the fourth category of nicknames and probably what Australia is most known for and that is inventing nicknames based on personality traits, physical appearance, inner jokes or your culture. Alright, strap yourselves in. A common nickname for people who have ginger hair is ‘red’ or sometimes even ‘bluey’ as it is the opposite of red. A common nickname for someone who is tall is ‘stretch’, ‘big fella’ or ‘tiny’ just to add a sarcastic tone. A common nickname for people who make a lot of jokes is ‘goose’, ‘chuckles’, or ‘Charlie’ as in Charlie Chaplin or any other comedian for that matter. My dad, who is called Peter, gets called ‘Pistol Pete’, after Pete Sampras, a famous tennis player from the US. This is also a perfect fit for him, as my dad is full of energy and never gives up! 

A GUIDE TO CREATING YOUR OWN:
Okay okay, let’s pause for a moment and take a breath. That was a LOT of information to process. 

Now in order to create your own you’re gunna need to do two things:

1. Spend time with the locals and know that you will absolutely be given a nickname by them
2. Or you create your own and introduce yourself AS that nickname. 

If you are going to go down the 1st route, I want you to grow a thick skin - Australians will come up with very random nicknames, so don’t be offended if you are branded with one that might be embarassing or sarcastic, this is just out nature. The important thing to know is that these nicknames come from a place of the heart and when people make fun of you or ‘stir you up’, it’s because they like you. 

Alternatively, if you are going down the 2nd route of creating your own nickname, be sure you choose wisely and use it at every opportunity so it catches on.

Let’s go through the list once again to see which category fits you. Answer each question until you find the category that suits.

* Do you want to be called a synonym of the word friend? 

* Do you want to be known as an expression of love and affection?

* Can your name be shortened by adding an -o on the end?

* Can your name be shortened by adding an -azza on the end?

* Can your name be shortened by adding a ‘z’ or ‘s’ on the end? 

* Can your last name be shortened by adding an -ie or -y to the end? 

* Do you have a distinctive physical feature that could be made into a nickname? 

* Is there a famous person that shares your same ability or personality with whom you could borrow their nickname? 

* Finally, do you have an inner joke or experience that could be made into a nickname? 

Hopefully, by the end of these questions, you have found one that resonates with you. If you are still stuck, perhaps your last resort is to befriend an Australian and ask them what they think your nickname should be. I am 100% certain that they will have a list ready to run by you! 

REFLECTIONS:
Well if you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for sticking around. But as always, it’s time to say our goodbyes. Just to remind you, today's episode was all about Australian nicknames, and if I had a dollar for every time I said the word nickname in this episode, I think I would be a rich girl. We first discussed Australia’s fascination with nicknames and where they can be traced back to. I then shared with you 4 categories that nicknames can be broken up into. Finally, I ran you through a questionaire to help you create one of your own! Next episode, you’ll get to meet my new friend Angela Blanco, a Colombian living in England. We will be discussing the expectation vs the reality of living abroad as part of my new mini series called “The Unscripted Series”. This is where you will get the chance to hear real English as a Second Language speakers having real life conversations. Don’t forget to join my Facebook community group to receive free content such as the entire transcript of this episode. I’ll leave the link in the description. Once again, thank you everybody. You've been listening to English with an Aussie.

VOCABULARY LIST:

1. obsession: idea or thought that continually preocupies or intrudes on a person's mind.

2. average: a number expressing the central or common value in a set of data.

3. economy: the state of a country or region in terms of the production and consumption of goods and services and the supply of money.

4. colonial groups: a group of people who inhabit a foreign territory but maintain ties to their parent country.

5. Australian Bushrangers: Bushrangers were armed robbers who hid from authorities in the bush of the British colonies in Australia. Sometimes refered to as an 'outlaw'.

6. The East Enders: a native or inhabitant of the part of London east of the City as far as the River Lea, including the Docklands.

7. lexicon: the vocabulary of a person, language, or branch of knowledge.

8. distinguishable: able to be recognized as different, usually by means of some readily noticed feature or characteristic.

9. terms of endearment:  is a word or phrase used to address or describe a person, animal or inanimate object for which the speaker feels love or affection.

10. sarcastic:

11. route: a way or course taken in getting from a starting point to a destination.

12. 'stir you up' (idiom): to bring notice to something or make fun of someone in a playful way. 

13. catches on (phrasal verb): when something becomes common knowledge it sticks and people remember.