A Season Of Sayonara And Au Revoir

It was sayonara time. We farewelled our apartment that Mrs. Kangaeroo scrimped and saved to snare upon the end of her previous marriage. Then it was goodbye to being Tokyo citizens as we became Kanagawa Prefecture residents. And we moved on to say au revoir to the Printemps department store. It was then the end of another year.

My best mate at work will now telework outside of the busy season, so the office is a pretty lonely place now.

But I have plenty to keep me busy, and I have been able to re-establish some ties with my children, so it has been a very good 2016.

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  • Fatal Attraction

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    Australiana for Australia Day

    オーストラリア人コメディアンオーステン・テーシャス氏*が1983年豪州象徴的なものや地名などのごろ合わせによって詩「Australiana」で全国一世風靡し、No. 1ヒットとなった。かなりやばい言葉使いであり、色な所で放送禁止となった。 1月26日建国近年日にあたる「Australia Day」にちなんで、下記再現する。お楽しみ。 Australiana Sittin’ at home last Sunday mornin’ me mate Boomer rang (boomerang). Said he was havin’ a few people around for a barbie, Said he might cook a burra (kookaburra) or two. I said, “Sounds great, will Walla be (wallaby) there?” He said “Yeah and Veggie might (Vegemite) come too”. So I said to the wife “Do you wanna Go Anna (goanna)?”. She said “I’ll go if Din goes (dingoes).” So I said “What’ll (wattle) we do about Nulla?” He said “Nulla bores (Nullarbor) me to tears, leave him at home.” We got to the party about two and walked straight out the kitchen to put…

  • 荷物を積めるなら、Pack A Wallopの方が良い?

    Yeah, nah. Packing a wallop has nothing to do with packing gear. Pack a wallop is classic Strine meaning to have a strong impact or deliver plenty of power. 日本語の意味 ええとね、packは確かに「積める」という意味があるが、pack a wallop は「大きなインパクトがある」「強い力を持つ」という意味です。 Explanation It can describe a punch, an engine, a storm or anything surprisingly powerful. 日本語での解説 パンチやエンジン、嵐など、強い力を持つものに幅広く使われます。 Example “That little ute packs a wallop.” 日本語訳 「あの小さなユートはすごい力だ。」 Strine Culcha Australians love praising strength with colourful expressions. オージー文化メモ 小さいのに力強いものを褒めるときによく使われます。 Related Terms

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    エグゼクティブ・サマリー まず最初に理解しておきたいのは、 「ボーガン」はひとつの明確な社会階層を指す言葉ではないということ。むしろ、オーストラリア文化の中で 驚くほど柔軟に使われるラベルだ。 時代や文脈によって、ボーガンはこんな意味を持ってきた。 最後の変化が、実は一番面白い。 ■ 侮蔑から「アイデンティティ」へ もともと“ボーガン”はほぼ 侮蔑語として使われていた。ところが近年は、 「本物らしさ」「オーストラリアらしさ」「文化的スノッブへの反抗」 といった意味を帯びて、 部分的に“誇りのラベル”として再評価されている。言語学者ロズリン・ローワンは、 ボーガンを「否定的な意味が、肯定的な自己認識やナショナリズムへと変換されうる、独特のオーストラリア文化キーワード」と表現している。 つまり、 悪口だったはずの言葉が、国民的アイデンティティの一部になってしまった。