Comments on: “um”, “you know” and “awesome”

By: See Sea

See Sea — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 09:41:23 +0000

Very funny; glad it’s not just me noticing these things.
I’d like to add a few observations…

Does the high-rising pitch at the end of statements annoy anyone else? It has turned me into a high-rise-terminal Nazi.
A telemarketer rang and said
“Hi I’m from (wherever) and my name is Heather?
My deadpan reply: “I don’t know, is it?”

And then there’s the repetitive affirmation and disapproval syndrome, where the words ‘yeah’ and ‘no’ are echoed rapidly, usually five to seven times. “yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah….”

NZ vocabulary is becoming more limited as descriptive words are replaced with ‘like’ and combined with gestural examples, as in this conversation overheard/witnessed at the bus stop:

GIRL: ” I got like sooooooo totally wasted and I was like (retarded facial distortion) and I couldn’t even get off the couch? And he just sat there like (slumping gesture) and he, you know, wouldn’t stop staring at me? He was basically being a total wous and I was like, pull the kumara out of your ass dude, and he was still like, you know (unintelligible grunt) ..

GUY: “yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah….”

Eeeee!
Like, it basically makes me want to stuff a kumara in their mouth, ya know?

By: PhilBee, Albany

PhilBee, Albany — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 03:34:18 +0000

Like, so, this is totally, um, y’know, awesome?? Like, with an ‘O’?? And an upward inflection??
Like, I’ve compiled a list of some similarly dorkish-like statements, so overheard at uni recently. Gay.
So like, I hope you like…like! Totally.

http://yardyyardyyardy.blogspot.com/2009/04/so-like-overheard-at-unirandom.html

By: Nick

Nick — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:07:10 +0000

I love your site, its awesome!!

By: Richard

Richard — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 03:09:17 +0000

Choice one, cuz.

It’s sick bro.

By: Bex

Bex — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 03:46:14 +0000

Radio interview with Richie McCaw on Sunday morning. “It was ya know, just a case of lacking the basics, ya know”.

Total “ya know” counts in one minute’s worth of interview? Twenty five.

Awesome.

By: Selwyn Nogood

Selwyn Nogood — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 03:28:17 +0000

This post is not intended as a full compendium of Kiwi slang, only the most cringe-worthy stuff, however it has been suggested that I may have left off some obvious contenders. Feel free to add more..

“Sweet as, bro” (not to be confused with popular San Fransisco phrase, ‘Sweet ass, bro’) – sweet as what? candy? crushed asprin?

“Mint” (pronounced ‘munt’)

By: Lachlan

Lachlan — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 09:16:59 +0000

Maybe I’m running in the wrong circles (or perhaps the right ones) but I rarely hear the cringy “AWSUM!” . I can’t bring myself to use it.

“Yeahnah” *fingers in ears*

By: Mike Carden

Mike Carden — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:43:18 +0000

You missed the extended version: yeahnahgood. Its the standard answer to any pub how-do-you-do.

By: Cristal

Cristal — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:35:48 +0000

haha! Oh look, you know, that yeahnah thing that is SO kiwi. I equate it with North Island, lilting friendly, apparently gets girls good overseas (No shit, my friend the male kiwi accent go figure).Nice post.

By: courtney

courtney — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:38:14 +0000

more like a kiwi who knows what he’s doing.