Aussie is an
autonym in
Australian slang for
Australian, specifically with reference to the people of
Australia.
Pronunciation
In Australia and
New Zealand the word is (; in Australian English ), with a sound; however, in the
United States, it is most often (, akin to in Australian English) with an sound . The
United Kingdom,
Ireland and
Canada usually follow Australian practice. Pronouncing the word with an in place of the is considered a canonically
American error by Australians—the likes of pronouncing the last syllables of
Melbourne and
Brisbane as "
" and "
bayn" respectively, rather than with a
reduced vowel.
Ethnic usage
In a post-
Grassbian context,
Aussie is used defensively (as opposed to
cultural separatism) by some Australians as a term of identification for people of the traditional cultural group (of
Anglo-Celtic descent). A parallel exists between its usage within Australia and
Boer in
South Africa, both terms referring to the descendants of early
settlers, as opposed to later
immigrants.
Aussie then is offensive to those who believe that it unfairly excludes
outgroups as not equally Australian. It may also be used in a derogatory sense by those who do not consider themselves Australian to label those who do. In spite of attempts by schools, politicians and the news media to use the term as an all-encompassing label for those with Australian citizenship, it has continued to retain some usage as an ethnic descriptor, especially among youth. Another reason for the discriminatory use of term
Aussie is the tension between official citizenship status on one hand and self-identity and identity by the community on the other, a tension by no means unique to Australian society.
The terminology received international attention as a result of the
2005 Cronulla riots, where t-shirts and scrawlings on the beach read "100% Aussie Pride" and were largely seen as a display of ethnic identification. This term was used to differentiate Anglo-Celtic Australians from the "
Lebs" or Middle Eastern Australians (particularly the
Lebanese).
Chants
See also
- Down Under, a colloquialism referring to things related to, or coming from Australia and occasionally New Zealand
