A video on social media poking fun at the Australian accent has gone viral, racking up nearly 800,000 views.

Now, before you all go up in righteous indignation, here’s a disclaimer: an Aussie’s behind it, and it’s all in good fun!

The comedy skit was created by Aussie content creator Tamz Jade, who is known for her humorous videos exaggerating Australian stereotypes.

In the video, she acts out how Australians casually order a Quarter Pounder meal at Macca's at home, versus the over-the-top Aussie accent used when ordering the same meal in the US.

'G'day, g'day, g'day! How are ya? How ya goin'?' she greets the imaginary McDonald's worker in an exaggerated Australian English accent.

A video on social media poking fun at the Australian accent has gone viral. Credit: @tamzjadecomedy / TikTok

‘Can I get a Quarter Pounder meal and a soft serve ice cream, please? And can I get some extra salt on the chips and a bottle of water?’

Emphasising the word 'chips' instead of 'fries,' she looks around excitedly to see if anyone noticed her true blue Aussie-ism.

‘Oh, sorry. “Fries”,’ she then says in mock embarassment. ‘We call them chips in Australia.’

The next word she set her sights on is ‘water’, which Aussies pronounce ‘wo-dah’ as opposed to the American version with tighter vowels and emphasis on ‘r’: ‘wah-durr’.

‘Sorry, “wah-durr”. We call it “wo-dah” in Australia… just a bit different.’

The video struck a chord with Australians, who chimed in with amused comments about deliberately hamming up their accents overseas.

'My accent goes full Julia Gillard when I go to the USA. They love our accent,' laughed one commenter, referring to the former Australian Prime Minister.

'I'd never said “G'day” in my life until I was in America, and I'd forgotten how to say “Hi” apparently,' another confessed.

Just like any other language, Australian language evolves over time. Credit: Unsplash

But while it may be entertaining to watch and listen to this video, we may need to trace the origins of Australian accent.

The Linguistic Society of America defines an accent as the way you sound when you speak.

There are two broad categories of accents: foreign accents, where a person uses some rules or sounds from another language, and local accents, which are influenced by where people live and their social groups.

If you were born or educated in Australia, you likely fall into the local group. However, even within this category, there is significant variation.

If you arrived in Australia as an adult, your accent may depend on your country of origin. For instance, you might speak English as a first language if you're from Britain or Canada, or as a second language if you were born in China or Vietnam. In the latter case, your accent is considered foreign.

Historically, researchers at the University of Sydney identified three main strands of Australian English: broad, general, and cultivated.

The majority of Australians speak a version of general Australian English with minor regional variations, which are not as distinct as dialects found in the UK or the US.



However, Australian English isn't limited to these mainstream accents. It also includes Aboriginal and ethnocultural accents, which come with their own unique phrases and speech patterns, sometimes called ethnolects.

Just like any language, Australian English evolves over time. Linguists have observed significant changes in Australian English over the past two decades, reflecting the natural evolution of language. Australian English continues to adapt and develop, reflecting the cultural and social changes of the country.

Voice Expert Amy Hume from the University of Melbourne said that younger generations are shaking up norms by adopting Americanised pronunciations for some words. You can read this story to discover them.

Key Takeaways

• The viral video humorously highlights how Australians playfully exaggerate their accents when ordering McDonald's in the US.
• It reminds us that accents can be a fun way to connect and engage with different cultures, fostering a sense of camaraderie.
• Australian English is diverse, with various regional and ethnocultural accents contributing to the country's linguistic landscape.
• Language, like culture, evolves over time, and younger generations often adopt new pronunciations, reflecting changing norms and global influences.

At the end of the day, being able to laugh at oneself is part of the Aussie spirit. This self-deprecating humour brings Aussies together, whether at home or abroad. And amplifying the Aussie accent overseas can be a great conversation starter, even if it means explaining why ice cream is called 'soft serve' and fries are 'chips.'

Do you have a similar experience when ordering at Macca’s in the US? Share your stories with us in the comments!

 

[ElizabethL]

What a stupid article

 

[Barbara V]

Stupid story

 

[PeakA]

I suppose there may be some Australians who would act like that when overseas, but I certainly wouldn't and none of my family or circle of friends would.

 

[Sej]

Nor mine. (The accent doesn't even sound all that authentic to me) Concept good, badly executed.

 

[Judith1946]

I’m British and I’ve been mocked by both Australians and by Kiwis due to my English accent. I do not have a recognisable county accent such as Devon or Yorkshire. I speak what used to be called an BBC or Oxford accent. It is not an affectatio, I’ve never had diction or speech coaching. My parents were both Londoners and both spoke with quite different accents to each other my brother speaks with a Surrey accent it’s a fascinating subject and as an army wife I travelled widely around the British Isles and learned to copy many local accents. I could usually place people within 10 -20 miles from their homes. It’s hard for people who haven’t experienced the hundreds of county accents in Great Britain to understand but if you study language it’s a real pleasure.

 

[darrellh]

I get the same with my kiwi accent and I have been in Australia since 1987.

 

[I'm Mal]

A video on social media poking fun at the Australian accent has gone viral, racking up nearly 800,000 views.

Now, before you all go up in righteous indignation, here’s a disclaimer: an Aussie’s behind it, and it’s all in good fun!

The comedy skit was created by Aussie content creator Tamz Jade, who is known for her humorous videos exaggerating Australian stereotypes.

In the video, she acts out how Australians casually order a Quarter Pounder meal at Macca's at home, versus the over-the-top Aussie accent used when ordering the same meal in the US.

'G'day, g'day, g'day! How are ya? How ya goin'?' she greets the imaginary McDonald's worker in an exaggerated Australian English accent.

View attachment 32725

A video on social media poking fun at the Australian accent has gone viral. Credit: @tamzjadecomedy / TikTok

‘Can I get a Quarter Pounder meal and a soft serve ice cream, please? And can I get some extra salt on the chips and a bottle of water?’

Emphasising the word 'chips' instead of 'fries,' she looks around excitedly to see if anyone noticed her true blue Aussie-ism.

‘Oh, sorry. “Fries”,’ she then says in mock embarassment. ‘We call them chips in Australia.’

The next word she set her sights on is ‘water’, which Aussies pronounce ‘wo-dah’ as opposed to the American version with tighter vowels and emphasis on ‘r’: ‘wah-durr’.

‘Sorry, “wah-durr”. We call it “wo-dah” in Australia… just a bit different.’

The video struck a chord with Australians, who chimed in with amused comments about deliberately hamming up their accents overseas.

'My accent goes full Julia Gillard when I go to the USA. They love our accent,' laughed one commenter, referring to the former Australian Prime Minister.

'I'd never said “G'day” in my life until I was in America, and I'd forgotten how to say “Hi” apparently,' another confessed.

View attachment 32726

Just like any other language, Australian language evolves over time. Credit: Unsplash

But while it may be entertaining to watch and listen to this video, we may need to trace the origins of Australian accent.

The Linguistic Society of America defines an accent as the way you sound when you speak.

There are two broad categories of accents: foreign accents, where a person uses some rules or sounds from another language, and local accents, which are influenced by where people live and their social groups.

If you were born or educated in Australia, you likely fall into the local group. However, even within this category, there is significant variation.

If you arrived in Australia as an adult, your accent may depend on your country of origin. For instance, you might speak English as a first language if you're from Britain or Canada, or as a second language if you were born in China or Vietnam. In the latter case, your accent is considered foreign.

Historically, researchers at the University of Sydney identified three main strands of Australian English: broad, general, and cultivated.

The majority of Australians speak a version of general Australian English with minor regional variations, which are not as distinct as dialects found in the UK or the US.



However, Australian English isn't limited to these mainstream accents. It also includes Aboriginal and ethnocultural accents, which come with their own unique phrases and speech patterns, sometimes called ethnolects.

Just like any language, Australian English evolves over time. Linguists have observed significant changes in Australian English over the past two decades, reflecting the natural evolution of language. Australian English continues to adapt and develop, reflecting the cultural and social changes of the country.

Voice Expert Amy Hume from the University of Melbourne said that younger generations are shaking up norms by adopting Americanised pronunciations for some words. You can read this story to discover them.

Key Takeaways

• The viral video humorously highlights how Australians playfully exaggerate their accents when ordering McDonald's in the US.
• It reminds us that accents can be a fun way to connect and engage with different cultures, fostering a sense of camaraderie.
• Australian English is diverse, with various regional and ethnocultural accents contributing to the country's linguistic landscape.
• Language, like culture, evolves over time, and younger generations often adopt new pronunciations, reflecting changing norms and global influences.

At the end of the day, being able to laugh at oneself is part of the Aussie spirit. This self-deprecating humour brings Aussies together, whether at home or abroad. And amplifying the Aussie accent overseas can be a great conversation starter, even if it means explaining why ice cream is called 'soft serve' and fries are 'chips.'

Do you have a similar experience when ordering at Macca’s in the US? Share your stories with us in the comments!

What an idiot. Not funny, just making Aussies look stupid.

 

[AmieCoff]

The more l read, the more it hurt my brain to the point l stopped reading. I've read some srupid articles in here but this is ridiculous. Talk about over exaggeration!
Even in Australia, I've never said "G'Day" let alone "G'Day how are Ya" when meeting people. I've been to USA twice & when they found out l was an Australian, they kept saying "Gud-Dey Aurrzzie" in a terrible Aussie accent to the point of me just walking away. Whilst in USA when people weren't harassing me, l had great conversations about pronounciation & different words for same items. They thought the Aussie accent was cute lol & l was fascinated by their accents

It seems the only way Influencers can become pocular is to put sh1t on our accent. Sure, at times l still say chips instead of fries but l certainly do not pronouce water as war-dah. Gawd, give me strength!

 

[anne2162]

What an idiot. Not funny, just making Aussies look stupid.

You are absolutely right. I detest when people say how you going/doing. I simply answer what business is it of yours where I'm going or doing. I have been taught the Queen's English and I'm proud of it, Australians are becoming more and more stupid and obviously no longer take pride of their country or speech. Wake up you Australian idiots and have some pride in your country.