Linguistic miscellanea.

[tyggerjai]

So. Most Chinese, especially those working in a customer-facing position at an international mega-casino, choose an English name. Many of them are a bit cutesy - Misty, Kitty, etc. Some are just unfortunate - the Americans find Fanny funny enough, but it's especially entertaining if your last name is Ho. But my top 3 for the time I've been here are Yoyo, Poochie and Tintin. All, as far as I can see, used without a trace of irony. All girls, too.

And now for something a little more puerile. In Australia, if you need to move something hanging in the air, you attach what we call tag lines (or page lines), and you brail it, or page it. In America, you attach breasting lines, and you breast it. When the (predominantly Australian) rigging crew need a couple of bodies to brail our swing stages, we ask the (predominantly American) carp crew for a hand, because they have more spare bodies on the deck. Being Australian, of course, the rest writes itself. "Hey Cody! Where can I get my hands on a couple of big breasts?" "Hey Cody! Got a right pair of tits for us?". And so on. Subtle we are not. Amused we are.

Also, apparently Australians really are more casually profane than Americans. Not only do we say cunt a lot more, but we have fabulous sayings like "Let's fuck this puppy" that baffle and frighten our Northern American brethren.

Which is how we like it.

jai.
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Comments

[wingedcorset.livejournal.com]

Good to hear from you again, it's been awhile since you've posted.

I think I'd like working with the Australians.

[jadaze.livejournal.com]

These are some of the reasons why, even after how last year ended, I adore me some Aussies. <3

[bunnikins.livejournal.com]

Not on topic at all, but you reminded me - there's a bar here that has a '100 shots club'; you drink your way through the list of a hundred different sorts of shots, and you get your name & nationality on the Wall of Fame. First name up there? An Australian chick:) We were there tonight, and I noticed there's three names up there from the USA now, and only two Aussies. This must be rectified!

[txxxpxx.livejournal.com]

When I was working in fashion I used to have to deal with a laundry called Five Star Laundry Service. It was colloquially known, unsurprisingly, as simply Five Star.

The Asian receptionist had taken the monniker of Fanny.

It did crack me up every time she answered the phone with "Five Star, Fanny speaking".

Ahhhh, it's the small things in life.

[sly-girl.livejournal.com]

Hey - you might now this, Mr International!

You know jokes like "Why'd the girl fall off her bike? Because someone threw a fridge at her." Well, do they have them outside Australia? Are we just somehow so isolated that we've gone a little doo-lally and now laugh at any old thing? Or is this an international phenomenon?

Those small observations that tell you so much

[erudito.livejournal.com]

These are important social cues ... :)

[mikesch.livejournal.com]

In the US "cunt" is still considered really vulgar and not something we use casually unless we're trying to be deliberately offensive. Most people are comfortable with the usual profanities in mixed company, but cunt is a special occasion word.

[tyggerjai.livejournal.com]

Whoa, you still exist! How's things? What are you up to these days?

jai.
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