EPISTEMOLOGY IN STRINE.

February 20, 2003 by 3 Comments

From Desbladet, these thoughtful lyrics from Down Under:

Maybe I’m knotty veneer
Hagger nigh telephime reely reel?
Hadder Y. Noah Fimere?
… Wunker nawlwye stell; yegger nawlwye snow
If you’re reelor yerony dreaming;
Yellopoff the topoff your nirra stow
A new wafer the sander the screaming.
–Afferbeck Lauder

Alistair Morrison coined the term “Strine” for the idiosyncratic form of English spoken in Australia; his 1965 book Let Stalk Strine, written under the pseudonym Afferbeck Lauder (“alphabetical order”), popularized the term. If anyone can’t figure out the text of the ditty, say so in the comments and I’ll translate.

Comments

  1. Rory says
    February 21, 2003 at 1:27 pm

    Cors, Strayan has change dabbit sins then.

  2. Tim Dunlop says
    February 24, 2003 at 4:26 pm

    Sounds like a good book. Emma Chiset?

  3. language hat says
    February 24, 2003 at 4:59 pm

    Well, this is the best I found at bookfinder.com:

    Ambrosia Books
    via Books & Collectibles [Australia]
    Publisher: Ure Smith Sydney 1969 Reprint Card PB, sm 8vo, pp 46, b/w line drawings, gen wear and stains but sound copy of scarce book. 100 gms $7.17

    Most copies are over $20, so act now!

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