Aussie Invasion?

[RaM]

'No worries' infiltrates British English
Thursday Aug 9 13:00 AEST
By Danielle Cahill
ninemsn

The Aussie phrase "no worries" has infiltrated British English and is now used widely in what one linguist has described as a mark of respect for Australian culture.

"'No worries' is used commonly, yes," British linguist David Crystal said. "This kind of thing has been noticed over the past 10 or 15 years."

According to Professor Crystal, Britons of all ages use Australian phrases regularly, though older English people are more likely to find them irritating and "common".

"Most of the Australianisms are actually well known from the late 1980s and early 90s," he said.

"They've had a chance to percolate up through the system."

The widespread use of Australian idioms by British people is a sign of respect.

"You don't get that kind of acceptance of another dialect unless they were seen as prestigious. You don't borrow from a dialect you don't respect," he said.

"That's why a lot of Americanisms don't get in (to British English) or get in slowly."

Professor Crystal's remarks come in the wake of reports suggesting that the Australian way of speaking has affected British accents so much that casting directors are struggling to find thespians with "received pronunciation".

The change has been attributed to the success of long-running Australian soap operas such as Neighbours on British television.

One aspect of the "Australian invasion" is a tendency to end phrases with upward inflection, which is normally used to form a question.

Professor Crystal praised this way of speaking as a means of keeping your listener with you.

"It's a very useful way of shortening conversation," he said. "It's an alternative to saying, 'Do you understand me?' but you don't have to actually say it as the upward tone is a request in itself."

Bruce Moore, a researcher with National Dictionary Centre in Canberra, said the phrase "no worries" was first used in print in 1967 and is a relatively recent addition to the Australian idiom.







This true?

English Gooners?

[WinterburnsRightFoot]

Yes RaM, it is very true.

Not so sure about the respect bit (no offence intended) I'm sure its more to do with the imported TV shows. Neighbours and Home & Away have a lot to answer for.

The upward inflection at the end of a sentence particularly irritates me, something I keep trying to correct my kids on but seem to be losing the battle.