Do you consider yourself Australian?

[Toots]

11 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

Remains great music to this day. I go to ska gigs here in Perth. Also went to a few gigs by Mod Squad before they disbanded last year. Big ageing Mod following and decked out scooter . Don't tell me you were a Rocker.   

No, I was more a peace and love hippy-ish type.  

[Blue Flu]

15 minutes ago, Toots said:

No, I was more a peace and love hippy-ish type.  

I guessed you were too young to have been either. So you were a make love ban war type? Some nice vibes around in those times , even if many were only going along for the ride . Which place was more in tune with being a Hippy? UK or Australia? 

Edited February 15, 2022 by Blue Flu

[Marisawright]

11 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

. Accent doesn't really vary. Slang is the same. ...That's why when meet abroad we ask where the person is from. Unlike UK and European countries it is not really possible to tell by accent .

I don't agree.  When I meet a Scot i will usually ask where they're from, because it's not easy (unless you're very knowledgeable about Scottish accents) to tell which part of Scotland they come from.  I couldn't tell you where in France a Frenchman came from, other than identifying the "country bumpkin" accent.  Ditto Italians unless they're actually speaking their local dialect. 

In my first year in Australia, I lived in country Victoria.   We were closer to Adelaide than Melbourne so used to go there for a city break.   For ages, I thought Adelaide was full of Londoners, because the twang was so slight compared to where I was living.   Now I live in Melbourne, the posh Eastern Suburbs accent grates on my ear, nothing like I ever heard living in Sydney.  And I've had to learn a whole suite of different slang. 

It must be terrible to live in a country you regard with such disdain.

[Blue Flu]

1 minute ago, Marisawright said:

I don't agree.  When I meet a Scot i will usually ask where they're from, because it's not easy (unless you're very knowledgeable about Scottish accents) to tell which part of Scotland they come from.  I couldn't tell you where in France a Frenchman came from, other than identifying the "country bumpkin" accent.  Ditto Italians unless they're actually speaking their local dialect. 

In my first year in Australia, I lived in country Victoria.   We were closer to Adelaide than Melbourne so used to go there for a city break.   For ages, I thought Adelaide was full of Londoners, because the twang was so slight compared to where I was living.   Now I live in Melbourne, the posh Eastern Suburbs accent grates on my ear, nothing like I ever heard living in Sydney.  And I've had to learn a whole suite of different slang. 

It must be terrible to live in a country you regard with such disdain.

Well you just wrote it. You couldn't tell which part of a country a person came from because you not knowledgeable about accents. I could most likely pick a Glasgow accent from an Edinburgh accent and have never lived in either. Others I would not know, but can hear a difference. I can certainly pick many English accents with a high degree of accuracy and can pick a Marseilles or Provincial accent    in French from a Parisian and usually a few others like a Briton and Toulouse , but that's from years of living there. I can hear Irish accents differ, but can't connect the area, as I can with American which is vastly different say a New England accent from a Texan or Deep South. 

But I cannot detect an Australian accent in saying what state the speaker is from. I don't think it is disdain telling how it is. I know Adelaide likes to think they speak more with an English inclination. But abroad they simply sound Aussie, I've met as many Perthites that speak in such a manner. A lot will depend on the school  . On my street live some young girls that go to an expensive private school and their accent could be termed 'English' I suppose in how well spoken in the way they articulate. By the way any disdain towards Australia, has clearly been explained as top the reasons why and do wonder at times how those 'would cope' not part of what is going on and still maintain such a rosy view of it all. 

[DIG85]

The variation in Australian accents is nowhere near as noticeable as that encountered in the UK or the USA. I could not tell what state a person is from merely by listening to their accent. Many sources assert that to all intents and purposes there are no regional differences and identify three sociocultural classifications: general, broad and cultivated.

Someone referred to uniformity in Australia. I think that’s right. Not just in accents, but in the sameness of the ghastly suburbs.

 

 

Edited February 15, 2022 by DIG85

[ramot]

12 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

Remains great music to this day. I go to ska gigs here in Perth. Also went to a few gigs by Mod Squad before they disbanded last year. Big ageing Mod following and decked out scooter . Don't tell me you were a Rocker.   

I had nothing to do with either, neither dress code appealed, especially the squirrel fur trim on the hoods of the mods jackets. 

If you were part  of the young 20 year  olds of London generation in the early 60’s when the music scene changed for ever, you will remember the sheer excitement of that time. did anyone else go to Eel Pie Island on the river Thames in Twickenham?, there was nowhere else like it. Plus  Great folk clubs for balance. 

I don’t know if similar was happening in Australia, but friends who went to Cloudland in Brisbane, Many top artists played there. but it also held formal dances which were nonexistent in my lifestyle in London

Edited February 15, 2022 by ramot

[Bulya]

2 hours ago, DIG85 said:

The variation in Australian accents is nowhere near as noticeable as that encountered in the UK or the USA. I could not tell what state a person is from merely by listening to their accent. Many sources assert that to all intents and purposes there are no regional differences and identify three sociocultural classifications: general, broad and cultivated.

Someone referred to uniformity in Australia. I think that’s right. Not just in accents, but in the sameness of the ghastly suburbs.

 

 

And where have you lived in Australia?

[Toots]

2 hours ago, ramot said:

I had nothing to do with either, neither dress code appealed, especially the squirrel fur trim on the hoods of the mods jackets. 

If you were part  of the young 20 year  olds of London generation in the early 60’s when the music scene changed for ever, you will remember the sheer excitement of that time. did anyone else go to Eel Pie Island on the river Thames in Twickenham?, there was nowhere else like it. Plus  Great folk clubs for balance. 

I don’t know if similar was happening in Australia, but friends who went to Cloudland in Brisbane, Many top artists played there. but it also held formal dances which were nonexistent in my lifestyle in London

The Marquee Club in Soho and the Roundhouse at Chalk Farm were also really good places to go and listen to bands.  I went once to Eel Pie Island with older cousins but not much was happening the day we went.  My cousins were regulars at gigs there and were very into rhythm and blues and saw many of the bands which were big names at the time.

 

[Toots]

3 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

Well you just wrote it. You couldn't tell which part of a country a person came from because you not knowledgeable about accents. I could most likely pick a Glasgow accent from an Edinburgh accent and have never lived in either. Others I would not know, but can hear a difference. I can certainly pick many English accents with a high degree of accuracy and can pick a Marseilles or Provincial accent    in French from a Parisian and usually a few others like a Briton and Toulouse , but that's from years of living there. I can hear Irish accents differ, but can't connect the area, as I can with American which is vastly different say a New England accent from a Texan or Deep South. 

But I cannot detect an Australian accent in saying what state the speaker is from. I don't think it is disdain telling how it is. I know Adelaide likes to think they speak more with an English inclination. But abroad they simply sound Aussie, I've met as many Perthites that speak in such a manner. A lot will depend on the school  . On my street live some young girls that go to an expensive private school and their accent could be termed 'English' I suppose in how well spoken in the way they articulate. By the way any disdain towards Australia, has clearly been explained as top the reasons why and do wonder at times how those 'would cope' not part of what is going on and still maintain such a rosy view of it all. 

I have many relatives in Canada and the USA.  Accents vary hugely in both those countries.  My 2nd cousins in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick speak with an almost Scottish accent in some of their pronunciation so different from relatives in other provinces especially Vancouver.

I'm sure over time accents in Australia will change depending where you live.  It's happened in nearly every country so bound to happen here eventually.

[ramot]

1 hour ago, Toots said:

The Marquee Club in Soho and the Roundhouse at Chalk Farm were also really good places to go and listen to bands.  I went once to Eel Pie Island with older cousins but not much was happening the day we went.  My cousins were regulars at gigs there and were very into rhythm and blues and saw many of the bands which were big names at the time.

 

 

Those were the days  my friends!!!! Summed up by Mary Hopkins song 

[Blue Flu]

2 hours ago, Toots said:

I have many relatives in Canada and the USA.  Accents vary hugely in both those countries.  My 2nd cousins in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick speak with an almost Scottish accent in some of their pronunciation so different from relatives in other provinces especially Vancouver.

I'm sure over time accents in Australia will change depending where you live.  It's happened in nearly every country so bound to happen here eventually.

Maybe. But just how long will that time be I wonder? One interesting aspect of accent is how the London accent has changed from the seventies . In part it could be the almost extention of the old Cockney. East London is so multi cultural these days and continues rapidly to change. 

[Blue Flu]

1 hour ago, ramot said:

 

Those were the days  my friends!!!! Summed up by Mary Hopkins song 

Those were definitely the days. A shame we allowed it slip through our fingers to something far less palatable. 

[Toots]

6 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

I guessed you were too young to have been either. So you were a make love ban war type? Some nice vibes around in those times , even if many were only going along for the ride . Which place was more in tune with being a Hippy? UK or Australia? 

I was  in high school at the time of the mods and rockers.  In my later teens (17, 18 years old) skinheads were well on the scene.  Doc Martins, above ankle length Levis/Wrangler jeans held up with braces  ..................  very, very short hair which was so different in those days when most blokes had long hair.  Had a few skinhead mates.  Like the mods, they listened to ska, reggae, rocksteady music.  I was never a skinhead but did like their music a lot.  I was more into, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, The Doors, early Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin etc etc.

[Blue Flu]

53 minutes ago, Toots said:

I was  in high school at the time of the mods and rockers.  In my later teens (17, 18 years old) skinheads were well on the scene.  Doc Martins, above ankle length Levis/Wrangler jeans held up with braces  ..................  very, very short hair which was so different in those days when most blokes had long hair.  Had a few skinhead mates.  Like the mods, they listened to ska, reggae, rocksteady music.  I was never a skinhead but did like their music a lot.  I was more into, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, The Doors, early Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin etc etc.

Early skin heads were fine and influenced by Caribbean sounds. The racist element came later in my time and were prominent  in NF marches against non white immigration in the seventies. Saw them many times. Bands like The Clash and Billy Bragg  along with others formed Red Wedge against racist ideology. Skin Head music changed to bands like Screwdriver and Oi stuff of pride and blood and country. I guess deep down you were a bit of a stoner. 

[Toots]

51 minutes ago, Blue Flu said:

Early skin heads were fine and influenced by Caribbean sounds. The racist element came later in my time and were prominent  in NF marches against non white immigration in the seventies. Saw them many times. Bands like The Clash and Billy Bragg  along with others formed Red Wedge against racist ideology. Skin Head music changed to bands like Screwdriver and Oi stuff of pride and blood and country. I guess deep down you were a bit of a stoner. 

If by stoner you mean someone who smokes pot regularly.  No I wasn't at all.  Couldn't really see the point.  Mixed with plenty of people who did, including other types of drugs but I just wasn't interested.  Never even smoked a fag in my life. 

 

 

[Skani]

7 hours ago, Toots said:

  My 2nd cousins in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick speak with an almost Scottish accent in some of their pronunciation so different from relatives in other provinces especially Vancouver.

A few years ago I met a distant cousin from Newfoundland for the first time.  He had a distinctly Irish inflexion in his Canadian accent - but his wife, also born there, didn't.  Apparently it was a feature of the particular part of Newfoundland where he grew up.

[Ken]

7 hours ago, Toots said:

I'm sure over time accents in Australia will change depending where you live.  It's happened in nearly every country so bound to happen here eventually.

I'm not so sure. Regional accents developed in a period before mass communication and when most people spent their lives in the same locality. You almost only heard the voices of the people that lived locally. With modern communications and far more travel it's going to be much harder for new local accents to develop. US children are even growing up imitating the accents of Peppa Pig and Bluey so I'm forecasting the exact opposite. Regional accents are bound to disappear eventually.

[Blue Flu]

16 hours ago, Toots said:

If by stoner you mean someone who smokes pot regularly.  No I wasn't at all.  Couldn't really see the point.  Mixed with plenty of people who did, including other types of drugs but I just wasn't interested.  Never even smoked a fag in my life. 

 

 

You must have been strong willed to resist all temptations that were plentiful at the time. I can claim no such thing. A shame it took a very long time to kick the nicotine habit though. 

[Blue Flu]

On 16/02/2022 at 06:41, DIG85 said:

The variation in Australian accents is nowhere near as noticeable as that encountered in the UK or the USA. I could not tell what state a person is from merely by listening to their accent. Many sources assert that to all intents and purposes there are no regional differences and identify three sociocultural classifications: general, broad and cultivated.

Someone referred to uniformity in Australia. I think that’s right. Not just in accents, but in the sameness of the ghastly suburbs.

 

 

May well have been me. The uniformity of Australia is something I suppose surprising considering the massive size and geographical difference. You are correct in stating the three sociocultural variations . I have lived in Darwin, Cairns, Perth, South West of WA , and visited all other states besides Tasmania, and fail to detect any difference, beyond what is mentioned . Even slang remains the same. 

What I do notice though is how Australianisms in language have become far, far less from when I was a youngster growing up here, to a more universal type of speech. Even sounds a bit odd, coming across the odd bod that still uses Strine in regular speech. 

 

[Bulya]

37 minutes ago, Blue Flu said:

May well have been me. The uniformity of Australia is something I suppose surprising considering the massive size and geographical difference. You are correct in stating the three sociocultural variations . I have lived in Darwin, Cairns, Perth, South West of WA , and visited all other states besides Tasmania, and fail to detect any difference, beyond what is mentioned . Even slang remains the same. 

What I do notice though is how Australianisms in language have become far, far less from when I was a youngster growing up here, to a more universal type of speech. Even sounds a bit odd, coming across the odd bod that still uses Strine in regular speech. 

 

Most today wouldn’t know what a Zac was/is.  Very common when I arrived in Australia.

[ramot]

19 hours ago, Toots said:

If by stoner you mean someone who smokes pot regularly.  No I wasn't at all.  Couldn't really see the point.  Mixed with plenty of people who did, including other types of drugs but I just wasn't interested.  Never even smoked a fag in my life. 

 

 

 

Toots you are not alone, and I was no innocent to what was available. I grew up in SW London and went on to Regent St Polytechnic, and must admit partied hard, and very much part of the London scene, as my brother was an actor, and lots of my friends worked in television,  but thought then and still do now, why on earth would you do that to yourself, especially after seeing someone in a dreadful state needing a fix at a party in Notting Hill. The 60’s were a fabulous time, but you didn’t have to be stupid or follow the crowd to enjoy them.

Edited February 17, 2022 by ramot

[Toots]

52 minutes ago, ramot said:

 

Toots you are not alone, and I was no innocent to what was available. I grew up in SW London and went on to Regent St Polytechnic, and must admit partied hard, and very much part of the London scene, as my brother was an actor, and lots of my friends worked in television,  but thought then and still do now, why on earth would you do that to yourself, especially after seeing someone in a dreadful state needing a fix at a party in Notting Hill. The 60’s were a fabulous time, but you didn’t have to be stupid or follow the crowd to enjoy them.

At least I/you can remember everything about those times in our lives.  I knew some people who were so wasted they couldn't remember the next day what happened the day/night before.  

[ramot]

23 minutes ago, Toots said:

At least I/you can remember everything about those times in our lives.  I knew some people who were so wasted they couldn't remember the next day what happened the day/night before.  

Yes but don’t ask me what I had for breakfast 🥺

[Bulya]

53 minutes ago, Toots said:

At least I/you can remember everything about those times in our lives.  I knew some people who were so wasted they couldn't remember the next day what happened the day/night before.  

I remember everything, good and bad, but I was younger.  

[Rallyman]

On 16/02/2022 at 12:37, Toots said:

The Marquee Club in Soho and the Roundhouse at Chalk Farm were also really good places to go and listen to bands.  I went once to Eel Pie Island with older cousins but not much was happening the day we went.  My cousins were regulars at gigs there and were very into rhythm and blues and saw many of the bands which were big names at the time.

 

Use to listen to a number of bands on a section on radio 1 back in the day live at the Marquee. , one of my favourites “nine below zero “

Edited February 17, 2022 by Rallyman