Understanding and using Australian Slang
Australian slang is a part of Australian English that baffles many people who visit from overseas. Slang, and Australian humour, both reflect our country's harsh 'just get on with it' culture, and often makes no logical sense.
Australia's slang even varies from state to state, and from region to region within states and territories. City-dwellers, for instance, will often be confused by slang used by those in regional or rural areas.
For example, if I move from South Australia to Victoria, I could be quite confused by some of the unique words used in that state. An example of this could be the slang used to describe the usual small-sized beer in a pub:
SA: schooner
Vic: pony
There are different types of slang, one of which is rhyming slang, (although rhyming slang is not encountered in Australia as frequently now as it
used
to be). Rhyming slang usually makes no sense at all, except to those who understand its traditions.
Example of rhyming slang:
tomato sauce = dead horse
It is an unrealistic expectation for everyone to understand all of the slang encountered throughout Australia. However, it is important for doctors to be aware of it, and to ask patients to clarify what they mean by various terms. Picking up some of the regional slang will only help to strengthen the rapport between you and your patients. However, by wrongly assuming the meaning of certain words this could lead to a dangerous misunderstanding. It is always much better to clarify if in doubt!
See the following clip for some examples of slang in a clinical consult.
- Slang clip 1
- Slang clip 2
The patient refers to ‘straining the spuds’ and uses other slang terms and phrases. The doctor is successful in clarifying what the patient is referring to by asking further, and then reflecting back. Importantly, the doctor uses the patient's level of language. For example, the doctor said: 'Oh, the water works. Having trouble with the plumbing?'. Such clarification is essential, otherwise the whole basis for the consult would be lost.
Using the patient's level of language is very important. Referring to the problems with medical jargon such as ‘I understand your problem is with the genitourinary system, particularly urinary hesitancy,' would not assist the building of rapport, and nor would it help the patient's understanding.
A good resource that further explains Aussie slang, and provides some practical tips and a medical slang dictionary, is the AOGP Slang Handbook.
Some other resources you may wish to access are located here.