How to speak Oz – lesson one

With the Melbourne As One gathering for YouTubers fast approaching (December 1st for those who need reminding) I find myself with a lot to do.  I’m answering questions, still hopeful of securing some sponsorship, organising events for the days and working with the Burnet Institute who are running the World AIDS Day Concert which is also on at Federation Square on the same day.

But I need to do more.  Now that several people from overseas have confirmed the will be coming I have realised I need to help them.  With the local language.  Many of them assume they will be OK because they think they speak English.  Sadly, some will find they only speak American which is not the same thing at all.

Teaching these people to speak Australian (or Strine as it is know to academics) will not be an easy task.  But I am not daunted.  I will start with the basics and work up from there.  Todays lesson covers two things visitors absolutely must know:

Advertisement

Walking tours of Melbourne

One of the things we want to do with the upcoming As One gathering in Melbourne is make it something more than standing around and saying hello. From all accounts (from those who have attended other gatherings) this is actually a fun thing to do and if that’s all we manage to get happening in Sydney then it will be a success.

But for Melbourne we’re planning to “take it to the next level” as they say. I’m not sure exactly who “they” are in this context but I’m sure somebody says that. To that end, we’re in the midst of planning a range of activities for the day.

When considering the nature of the likely attendees (people with video cameras) and the fact many of them may not know Melbourne very well we decided showing off some of the more hidden, yet visually interesting, parts of Melbourne would be a good idea. So we will be offering some walking tours to show off some Melbourne secrets.

Fortunately, as this video shows, there are many interesting things only a short walk from our gathering point.