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Strine
Do you sign on the dotted lion?
Is your tea nature Orpheus rocker?
Who is Charlie Charm Puck in ‘Waltzing Matilda’?
There has never been another book about Australian speech like Strine or about posh British speech like Fraffly Well Spoken. This classic edition includes all four Afferbeck Lauder books.
These pages are full of mare chick momence. Tiger look and star torgen Strine!
Is your tea nature Orpheus rocker?
Who is Charlie Charm Puck in ‘Waltzing Matilda’?
There has never been another book about Australian speech like Strine or about posh British speech like Fraffly Well Spoken. This classic edition includes all four Afferbeck Lauder books.
These pages are full of mare chick momence. Tiger look and star torgen Strine!
232 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1969
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About the author
Afferbeck Lauder
11 books5 followersAfferbeck Lauder (a syncope for "Alphabetical Order") is a psudonym for Alastair Ardoch Morrison, an Australian writer who gave no clue as to his identity in any of his books.
Lauder's books include: Let Stalk Strine (1965), Nose Tone Unturned (1967), Fraffly Well Spoken (1968) and Fraffly Suite (1969)
In October 2009, Text Publishing Company, Mairlben re-published all four books in an omnibus edition.
Lauder's books include: Let Stalk Strine (1965), Nose Tone Unturned (1967), Fraffly Well Spoken (1968) and Fraffly Suite (1969)
In October 2009, Text Publishing Company, Mairlben re-published all four books in an omnibus edition.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 24, 2023
In 1964, Monica Dickens, the great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens and herself a novelist, was signing books in Sydney during a literary world tour. A customer approached bearing a copy of her latest, and announced, ‘Emma Chisit’. Monica Dickens duly wrote ‘To Emma Chisit’ on the flyleaf, and added her signature.
‘No,’ said the Sydneysider, aggrieved. ‘Emma Chisit?’
Dickens belatedly realised that the woman was trying to find out how much the book cost.
This famous story, which I dearly hope is true, was originally reported in the Sydney Morning Herald of the 30th November 1964, and it prompted a response a few weeks later in the letters page:
This letter (which goes on for some paragraphs) was signed ‘Afferbeck Lauder, Professor of Strine Studies’, and this episode was the genesis of his ‘Strine’ writings, an endearing mix of social linguistics and humour, which filled many pages of the newspapers and eventually at least two books.
‘Afferbeck Lauder’ (itself a Strine rendering of ‘alphabetical order’) was the pseudonym of Alistair Morrison, who was also a graphic designer and artist – the books are illustrated by one of his other noms de plume, Al Terego. His valuable reference works include guidance on such useful Strine words as harps ‘thirty minutes past the hour’ (as in harps four) and Gloria Soames ‘large suburban residential houses’. The most lasting contribution is probably the word Strine itself, which looks like it's entered the Australian vocabulary for good.
This volume from the ever-wonderful Text Classics includes both Strine books as well as two later, not quite as successful ones on Received Pronunciation (Fraffly Well Spoken and its sequel). Some of the Afferbeck Lauder stuff is a bit dated now, but you can hear his tone echoing through the work of later Australian humourists like Clive James, Barry Humphries or Les Murray. He's still well worth a look.
‘No,’ said the Sydneysider, aggrieved. ‘Emma Chisit?’
Dickens belatedly realised that the woman was trying to find out how much the book cost.
This famous story, which I dearly hope is true, was originally reported in the Sydney Morning Herald of the 30th November 1964, and it prompted a response a few weeks later in the letters page:
A distinguished visitor, Miss Monica Dickens, reported recently (“S.M.H.,” November 30, Column 8) that the phrase “Emma Chisit” had, apparently after some initial difficulty, been correctly translated into English as “How much is it?”
The writer is surprised that any difficulty should have been encountered in the translation as “Emma Chisit” (Plural: Hammer Charthay) is in common usage along the central coast, and inland as far west as Annandale and parts of Ryde. Miss Dickens subsequently reported (“S.M.H.” December 3, Column 8) that the term is understood even in such a remote area as Harbord.
This letter (which goes on for some paragraphs) was signed ‘Afferbeck Lauder, Professor of Strine Studies’, and this episode was the genesis of his ‘Strine’ writings, an endearing mix of social linguistics and humour, which filled many pages of the newspapers and eventually at least two books.
‘Afferbeck Lauder’ (itself a Strine rendering of ‘alphabetical order’) was the pseudonym of Alistair Morrison, who was also a graphic designer and artist – the books are illustrated by one of his other noms de plume, Al Terego. His valuable reference works include guidance on such useful Strine words as harps ‘thirty minutes past the hour’ (as in harps four) and Gloria Soames ‘large suburban residential houses’. The most lasting contribution is probably the word Strine itself, which looks like it's entered the Australian vocabulary for good.
This volume from the ever-wonderful Text Classics includes both Strine books as well as two later, not quite as successful ones on Received Pronunciation (Fraffly Well Spoken and its sequel). Some of the Afferbeck Lauder stuff is a bit dated now, but you can hear his tone echoing through the work of later Australian humourists like Clive James, Barry Humphries or Les Murray. He's still well worth a look.
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