Do Australians pretend to be Americans when abroad?

Question

I do security work at one of Seattle's best hotels. Last week an Australian team stayed at our hotel. I was excited because we don't get too many foreigners in our city (seattle), and also because they were Australian! I like to hear their crikey dingo gibberish all the time.

But I was saddened....this Australian team never spoke anything like Steve Irwin. Never once did they say "crikey mate, it's a bloody crocodile eh matey" or even "dingobait mate!". They were normal. It's as if they were trying to be....American. Do Australians pretend to be Americans when abroad?

Additional Details

Please do not speak ill of the dead.

I don't believe Australians have a better accent. Could you imagine Hollywood movies with Australian accents? They probably flop.
Australian accents are different not better.

Hollywood is marketed all over the world - North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa...I don't think Hollywood movies with Australian accents would be marketable, especially to the East, Central Europe, and Africa. They wouldn't do as well, probably flop in some cases.

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

Why would we say "dingobait mate" at a Seattle Hotel ??? LOL that just makes me laugh!! Also, why would we act like we're tackling a crocodile in a hotel room saying eh yeah its a crocodile, why would we just blurt that out? Australian's don't come from the bush, we have such a diverse country and only people living under a rock for the last 20 years would ask a question like this. We are normal human beings, even more normal than American's!! Our accent is so much better, even though I totally put on an American accent when I want to sound like a moron haha. Do you think when Australian's see an American, we go OMG so how's paris hilton going???? Oh my god like totally, that's hot. We're not totally idiots like you Americans LOL!

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Ok, thanks.

Answer 2

Australia (like America) is a vast country. Due to the distance major towns and cities are from each other, particularly considering the "void" in the middle, there are many different accents in Australia.

There is not actually oen "Australian accent", but a family of accents which could come under the umbrella "Australian accents". It is like there are a variety of American accents and a wide number of UK accents.

Often, it is hard for a person from another area of the world, to specifically differentiate from one accent to another, but locals to that area often can with surprisingly accurate results.

Depending on many factors such as:
* age of the person
* area where the person is from
* size of the person's town
* how much the person has travelled
and many more can influence how the person speaks.

There are Australian people with very strong steretypical Australian accents, there are Australians who appear to have "no accent" (although everybody has an accent), and everything in between.

Nick
:)

Source(s):

English teacher

Answer 3

Basically u are thinking of a very american made accent... Australians never talk like that.. only if we are having a joke.. and the "crikey mate" accent is a stereotypical accent given to us by the americans.. Stever Irwin did talk a bit like that.. but that was only on show.. if u went and had a proper conversation with him he probably would go crikey mat or its a bloody crocodile eh matey... it just doesnt fit.. we talk normally and we dont pretend to be anything... if u came to aus u would soon learn that we talk exactly as u would have heard those australian people at the hotel.. and it also depends on where u come from to what type of australian accent u have aswell.. i went to a boarding school and the different types of australian accents was amazing.. if u came to aus and traveled way out west.. u would come across a similar accent to the Steve Irwin.. but maybe not using those exact phrases

Source(s):

ME =)

Answer 4

Actually - Steve Irwin does not speak like Australians. That was all for entertainment and exaggerated stuff for you Americans.

Normal average everyday Aussies DO NOT talk like Steve Irwin. The way he talked is NOT how we speak. As you said - "They were normal". We talk pretty much like most english speaking population of the world.

We DON"T pretend to be Americans....

Get used to the idea.

I have been to the USA and no one I met there ever thought that I should be talking like Steve Irwin.

Answer 5

LOL we definetly do not try to be American. You have to remember that steve Irwin was trying to be MORE australian as a marketting tool and Crocodile dundee was the same thing. We definetly still call everyone mate but stuff like Crikey and dingobait are old old terms, and just like america our language changes to. Afterall you guys don't all talk like cowboys or Southern gentlemen.
Saying that however, just like the rest of the world our tv and media ins dominated by American movies and shows so it is unavoidable that some your culture rubs of on us.

Answer 6

Why would they say "crikey mate, it's a bloody crocodile eh matey" in a hotel unless you have crocodiles running loose?

You can't group an entire country together as one. Just because some might say something, doesn't mean they're all required to.

People are individuals wherever they live.

Answer 7

In general Australians are very proud of themselves and their country. I expect they were perhaps quiet as they were in a strange country and city and had little to say. When they relax then I do not doubt that they will slip into their own special way of speaking. They most certainly not try to be American or come to that, English.
Nice to "talk" to you in America as I am from UK.

Answer 8

perhaps its just based on your perception of australians, i feel our government tries to push the stereotype of country towns, farms, living with wildlife etc through tourism advertising. the reality is the vast majority of australians live in cities on the coast- much like seattle, we get a lot of US television - when i was in the US last year i was told my accent isnt very thick, i was working with an older aussie who had never been overseas before, she had what we call a Strine accent, said all the things irwin did.

i spose younger aussies are exposed more to international, mostly US, media and as such dont adhere to the stereotype our parents perhaps would have

Answer 9

Not all Australians speak the same way as steve irwin. I've never used any of the funny expressions that he uses. We're not pretending to be American it's just the way we are. Some people will speak like that while others wont. It's not very common.

Answer 10

LMAO are you kidding? we are liked all over the world why would we pretend to be american when americans arnt liked to much these days

ive seen americans with canadian flags on their bags so people wont know there american

no one in australia talks like erwin, thats bullsh*t for yanky tv

Answer 11

The only one who talked like that was Steve Irwin and even when I saw him down at the shops, he did not speak like that. All put on for the show and why oh why would we want to act like yanks, they are a pain in the back side

Answer 12

No Australians talk like that with that accent that crocodile man has

We don't pretend to be American thats how we talk naturally its normal because we don't have an accent in Australia unlike u yanks who think we do cause u think we all sound like that crocodile man :P

Answer 13

Are you serious? I'm embarrassed as an American. I'm sure Australians aren't how they are in the movies and I hope to god that other countries don't perceive us the way we come out in the media like jerry springer or brittney spears.

Answer 14

No they don't.
You seem to be making a lot of assumptions. Have you ever seen an Australian movie before?
Also, it's strange that you don't see many foreiners, seeing as you work in one of Seatles best hotels and all.

Answer 15

Why in HEAVENS name would any Australian wish to portray themselves as American? Contrary to what Americans the world doesn't look up to you guys, in fact most are rather irritated and embarrassed by you.

Answer 16

why would they pretend to be americans?do u think being american is something you should be proud of?certainly NOT...at least not for australians..they're proud to be what they are ....

Answer 17

Australians are liked much better then Americans, so why on earth would be pretend to be one.

You need to pull your head out of your ****.

Answer 18

Irwin was a wanker & there is nobody in Australia who talks or acts like that(if they are the full quid)
the world hates the USA so we wouldn't pretend to be from there

Answer 19

Only the masochists.

Answer 20

In that case, we even pretend to be Americans here. I've never heard anyone talk like that wanker Irwin.

Answer 21

No, unless it's to make fun of us. They have a better accent than us, and for the most part they are more worldly.

Answer 22

We don't speak like Steve Irwin.
Don't believe everything you see in the movies.

Answer 23

You are joking, right?

Even Steve Irwin stopped short of 'dingobait mate'.

Answer 24

I doubt it. Why would they want to pretend to be Americans, for goodness sake?

Answer 25

I seriously do not see the point of that. I don't follow bored people like that.

Answer 26

WHY in the world would Australians pretend to be Americans?????????
The world HATES America!
Just because they didn't use outdated slang like Steve Irwin doesn't mean they were pretending to be American. A lot of Australians don't use slang when they go overseas cause ignoramouses like you pretend they can't understand or have a go at them for it.
The Australian accent is better to Australians, for the most part Australians hate American accents, so why would they impersonate one? And for the record many Americans love the Aussie accent and Hollywood with all Aussie accents would rocket.
Don't be upset because your stereotypes weren't upheld. If you want someone who talks like Steve Irwin and pretends they are something they're not, talk to an American.

What makes you think Africans and Europeans wanna hear Americans either??? Get over yourself.

Answer 27

Whoa, you got some hostile answers there.

Look, Steve Irwin was a businessman and performer with a clear idea of what stereotype would sell in the USA, particularly to women and girls 10 - 25, probably with the advice of his American wife. When I first saw him on TV here I thought he was an idiot and I have only ever watched about 10 minutes of one of his shows, that was enough.

He said it was not all an act but I have my doubts. Nobody but nobody under 75 used language like "crikey" when he was at his peak in TV land. It was obsolete slang in the 1950s.

A dingo is a wild dog, pretty much like something between a wolf and a coyote and they do eat babies and they will attack small children.

Crocodiles are rare south of the tropic of Capricorn, even north of it they are scarce but not unseen. I have never seen one in the wild and very few people have.

Most Australians traveling abroad have enough sense not to pose as Americans.

Answer 28

Mate, dont believe what you see on tv about Australia..

We dont talk like Steve Irwin. We just say it when you yanks are around because its kind of amusing. No we dont say "crikey mate, its a bloody crocodile eh matey" Do you have crocodiles running around in america? No? yeah thought so.. We run if we see crocodiles, we dont stop to look at it and poke it.

We talk normally, we just have a different accent than yours. We dont speak that dingo gibberish that you speak of, we speak english.

We dont pretend to be american. We're proud to be Australian.

Go eat McDonalds.

Answer 29

Virtually no one talks like Steve Irwin in real life. No offense to Steve Irwin intended.

Do you expect all Brits to talk like they've walked out of Pride and Prejudice? Or any other group to be their "stereotype".

Do you talk the slow dumb speech or George W Bush? (I'm guessing nope!).

My suggestion - go watch some other Australian films - ones that don't include Crocodile Dundee or Steve Irwin. Or come here. Get over the stereotypes and the rest of the world might get over the stereotype that all Americans are self centred and dumb.


Generally speaking Australians don't pretend to be American.

But we are "normal", we live in cities and have banks and businesses and restaurants and a lot of other stuff you'd recognise. Obviously differences too, but it would be like going to Canada or the UK...

Are Canadians freaky aliens from outer space? Of course not. Australian aren't either

Answer 30

Ok, let me ask you a question...should I expect all Americans to act like a lot of American celebrities and go in & out of rehab all the time? Should I expect all Americans to be loud and abrasive like I see in a lot of movies and in the media? Of course not! Sure there are a small percentage of people who speak like Steve Irwin and Paul Hogan but most of just speak normally. Steve Irwin's daughter, Bindie speaks more like most Australians do than her father did. We don't speak any better or any worse than any other country and we have different accents in different parts of the country. Steve Irwin represents the more extreme form of the Australian accent. Listen to people like Hugh Jackman, Naomi Watts and Russell Crowe and you will hear what most of us sound like. Oh & by the way...we don't all have BBQ's every day for tea with shrimps on them and it's a very rare sight to see a Kangaroo or Koala anywhere but the country areas. If you want to know about real Australians and Australia ask some one on here or in a chat room and don't rely on what the media feeds you.

Source(s):

Lived all my life in Australia.

Answer 31

My oh my....such hostile answers to this poor lad. Just proves my point that Australians as a whole hate Americans and your drop in Americans coming to visit Australia shows that they are starting to get it, that you don't want them to come spend their money at your tourist spots and resorts. Tourism by Americans is down by 23%...and tourism after mining is the #2 income generator in Australia. In fact, trip by the Japanese and Europeans is down too. New Zealand tourists are the only country that has increased their trips here. And its not the economy, its that people are starting to realize that Aussies can be quite arrogant and the above answers reflect that attitude.