I had a bikkie and a cuppa for brekkie - diminutives

[nyota]

We have quite a number of diminutives in Polish e.g. chlebuś, and it's not exactly the same as "little bread". English is rather poor in diminutives unless you're an Australian. :-D This is what I heard some time ago and it's just come back to me, so I'd like to ask what the most popular diminutives are that come to your mind (not only Australian).

I'll start with:
I had a bikkie and a cuppa for brekkie. (biscuit, coffee/tea?, breakfast)

Chrissie (Christmas)
in the arvo (in the afternoon, more colloq. perhaps)

 

[5jj]

pressie - present

 

[Raymott]

I'll start with:
I had a bikkie and a cuppa for brekkie. (biscuit, coffee/tea?, breakfast)

"Cuppa" is short for "Cup of", eg. "cuppa tea". So "cuppa" by itself does not specify the what drink it is, though it usually means tea or coffee.

A: Time for a cuppa?
B: Sure, but I'd prefer a tall glass of iced water if possible.

 

[freezeframe]

There are lots for animals and there are tons of those highly annoying words couples insist on using in front of you in that annoying baby voice. :roll:



undies = underwear

Words to describe protruding or non-protruding navel:

insy and outsy
or
insie and outsie

 

[nyota]

There are lots for animals and there are tons of those highly annoying words couples insist on using in front of you in that annoying baby voice. :roll:

Now I see why English doesn't overflow with diminutives. ;-) But nah, I get what you mean.

 

[Vidor]

not a teacher

I too find diminutives kind of annoying. I once had a girlfriend who called breakfast "brekkie". It didn't even save any syllables.

 

[Raymott]

I don't mind them, but I rarely use them personally, unless I'm talking to my cats, who understand diminutives like "din-dins". So I'll keep out of this thread unless someone makes a mistake about an Ozzie term.

 

[nyota]

Re: not a teacher

I too find diminutives kind of annoying. I once had a girlfriend who called breakfast "brekkie". It didn't even save any syllables.

And it can get even more uneconomic, at least in Polish:

ciastko (biscuit) - ciasteczko
2 syllables - 3 syllables

So gentlemen, don't 'complain'. ;-)

 

[freezeframe]

I don't mind them, but I rarely use them personally, unless I'm talking to my cats, who understand diminutives like "din-dins". So I'll keep out of this thread unless someone makes a mistake about an Ozzie term.

Sorry for an unrelated post but...

My Aussie friend get really upset when I type Ozzie to refer to her. She keeps saying, "I don't bite the heads off bats!" :roll: :-D

 

[SanMar]

Perhaps it's just Canadian culture but unless you are talking to your pets or really young children, using diminutives in Canada usually comes across as (and I say this as nice as possible) idiotic.
Undies and Ozzies are the only two that I can think of that are seen as "normal".

I know that diminutives come across very different in other cultures so honestly no offense is intended here.

Not a teacher.

 

[freezeframe]

Perhaps it's just Canadian culture but unless you are talking to your pets or really young children, using diminutives in Canada usually comes across as (and I say this as nice as possible) idiotic.
Undies and Ozzies are the only two that I can think of that are seen as "normal".

I know that diminutives come across very different in other cultures so honestly no offense is intended here.

Not a teacher.

+1000

People who talk like that make me want to slap them.

 

[nyota]

Perhaps it's just Canadian culture but unless you are talking to your pets or really young children, using diminutives in Canada usually comes across as (and I say this as nice as possible) idiotic.
Undies and Ozzies are the only two that I can think of that are seen as "normal".

I know that diminutives come across very different in other cultures so honestly no offense is intended here.

Not a teacher.

It's definitely a cultural thing. It's more common in Polish but obviously you can overdo it. My friend picked up some Polish from his ex-girlfriend who happened to be a big fan of diminutives, so now he pretty much softens everything.

 

[freezeframe]

It's definitely a cultural thing. It's more common in Polish but obviously you can overdo it. My friend picked up some Polish from his ex-girlfriend who happened to be a big fan of diminutives, so now he pretty much softens everything.

I assume Polish is like Russian/Ukrainian. In those languages making diminutives is much more natural than in English. In English (Canadian at least) it has a bigger potential for sounding idiotic because it doesn't sound natural.

Disclaimer: just an opinion! :-D

 

[SanMar]

I definitely think it is culturally based. In Portuguese diminutives, if not really overdone, are seen as sweet and gentle.
Diminutives in general really do stand out in Canada and not in a good way.


Not a teachie.

(My attempt at a diminutive and jokkie!... Did someone say something about a slappie?... )

:lol:

 

[Tdol]

I'd take a cuppa to mean tea not coffee. I don't know if other BrE speakers would do the same.

 

[5jj]

I'd take a cuppa to mean tea not coffee. I don't know if other BrE speakers would do the same.

Always.

 

[SanMar]

I'd take a cuppa to mean tea not coffee. I don't know if other BrE speakers would do the same.

In North America it is almost exclusively referred to coffee.
a cuppa java
a cuppa joe

But this was a bit of a phase, it's popularity TV derived I think, and it's not really hear that much anymore. Well at least I don't hear it anymore.

Not a teacher.

 

[5jj]

In North America it is almost exclusively referred to coffee.
a cuppa java
a cuppa joe

But this was a bit of a phase, it's popularity TV derived I think, and it's not really hear that much anymore. Well at least I don't hear it anymore.

Not a teacher.

Tdol was referring to the word 'cuppa' on its own -

I could do with a nice cuppa now.

When followed by a type of drink, we do pronounce 'cup of' as 'cuppa' - a cup of coffeee - but that's different.

 

[Raymott]

Sorry for an unrelated post but...

My Aussie friend get really upset when I type Ozzie to refer to her. She keeps saying, "I don't bite the heads off bats!" :roll: :-D

Yes, I'm sorry. Ozzie is another peurile spelling of Aussie, which is a serviceable diminutive.

 

[Verona_82]

What do you think of 'all righty'? The word crept into my vocabulary after watching Sex and the City, where one of the characters kept using it. I wonder if it sounds somewhat idiotic to you; it sounded nice to me