Aussies and the use of "mate."

[Illuminatiprimus]

@Sierra_Indigo

“Mate, we’re flat out here, don’t you dare try and chuck a sickie tomorrow or you’ll cop it, I swear.”

“Excuse me my good sir, but we are under a large amount of pressure at this time. Please do not call in with a feigned illness tomorrow, or I will be forced to apply the harshest sanctions to you upon your return.”

Good to see another English-Australian bi-lingualist.

[ivan_astikov]

Whenever I use it, it’s mostly in this context,

I don't know what your name is, but ill call you mate.

[Nava]

@Sage_Rat

I used to see “mate” used all the time talking with friends in Europe in online games and stuff, but I haven’t seen it as much in the last year or so. I’m not sure if it was a fashion at the time or if I’ve just moved into a more intellectual group of friends.

Most of the people who drop “mates” all over WoW’s EU servers are ESL, in my experience.

Which leads to something that’s been bugging me: is “mate” correct both when adressing a male and a female? The few times it popped up in ESL classes it was only for males, but I don’t know whether that was coincidence or what. The couple Brits I know who use “mate” don’t use it with chicks.

[Sage_Rat]

@Nava

Most of the people who drop “mates” all over WoW’s EU servers are ESL, in my experience.

Which leads to something that’s been bugging me: is “mate” correct both when adressing a male and a female? The few times it popped up in ESL classes it was only for males, but I don’t know whether that was coincidence or what. The couple Brits I know who use “mate” don’t use it with chicks.

I think it’s principally used to refer to other men, but people generally assume that anyone in WoW is male and so use it with everyone.

[Colophon]

@Gleena

I knew I’d been here too long when I stuck my head out a door at work and yelled to a storeman, “Mate, we’re flat out here, don’t you dare try and chuck a sickie tomorrow or you’ll cop it, I swear.”

And then I went…um…what did I just say?

That sentence wouldn’t seem at all out of place coming from the mouth of an English person. I use all those phrases (although not necessarily at the same time!) and don’t think of them as in any way “Australian”.

Of course it could be that my brain was infected by a constant stream of Neighbours as I was growing up, but I don’t think so.

Nava: If one of my friends phones or I bump into someone I know, I’ll usually greet them with “All right mate?” or “Hi mate”. Either male or female, it doesn’t matter (although I’d have to know a female person better than a male before calling them “mate”).