# "aw yeah" just aussie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 16, 2014, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aw-yeah-just-aussie/695671 "2014-08-16T10:40:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aw-yeah-just-aussie/695671/1 "2014-08-16T10:40:33Z")
Hi I’ve heard some Aussie friends say “aw yeah” when they mean “I see”. I sometimes say it myself. Do people in other countries ever say it? ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aw-yeah-just-aussie/695671/2 "2014-08-16T13:07:08Z")
What’s the song in > [@](#): > > Ferris Beuller’s Day Off with the deep bass “Oh, yeah”? “Oh yeah” is a traditional North American expression of realization or admiration. We can’t help it is the Aussies can’t pronounce it properly. ---
**Author:** ![jimbuff314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c57346/32.png) [@jimbuff314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimbuff314)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aw-yeah-just-aussie/695671/3 "2014-08-16T15:20:58Z")
“Hai” seems to get used a lot in Japan, in many different contexts . In the UK, “Right” is used even more ubiquitously. Often seems a bit snarky to me, taken in context. Hi, **John**! ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aw-yeah-just-aussie/695671/4 "2014-08-16T16:45:32Z")
> [@JohnClay](#): > > Hi I’ve heard some Aussie friends say “aw yeah” when they mean “I see”. I sometimes say it myself. Do people in other countries ever say it? Hmm. Maybe it’s related to the Maine “Ayuh”. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aw-yeah-just-aussie/695671/5 "2014-08-16T19:53:54Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > What’s the song in with the deep bass “Oh, yeah”? > > “Oh yeah” is a traditional North American expression of realization or admiration. We can’t help it is the Aussies can’t pronounce it properly. [Oh, Yeah](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q7FFjUpVLg), by Yello Aw yeah is also a [Kiwi phras](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqZcYPEszN8)e. ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aw-yeah-just-aussie/695671/6 "2014-08-16T22:06:01Z")
> [@JohnClay](#): > > Hi I’ve heard some Aussie friends say “aw yeah” when they mean “I see”. I sometimes say it myself. Do people in other countries ever say it? I think its more like “That’s right”. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aw-yeah-just-aussie/695671/7 "2014-08-16T22:09:22Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > “Oh yeah” is a traditional North American expression of realization or admiration. We can’t help it is the Aussies can’t pronounce it properly. I use it like this in the UK. Or I might say “Ah, yeah.” ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aw-yeah-just-aussie/695671/8 "2014-08-16T22:23:33Z")
The Australian “Aw yeah” is a distinct phrase from the American “Awwwww Yeeeah!” and mean different things. There’s a distinct Australian rural/working class dialect that prefaces almost every sentence with “Aw” (similar to the valley girl preface of “like”). “Aw yeah” is the contracted form of “Oh yes, I get it” vs the the American, which is the contracted form of “Oh yes, that is awesome”. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aw-yeah-just-aussie/695671/9 "2014-08-16T22:35:06Z")
It varies with emphasis. There’s a higher pitched one that indicates realization. “You know the guy from that movie with the other guy who was in the movie with all the explosions and the…” “aw yeah.” ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aw-yeah-just-aussie/695671/10 "2014-08-17T00:55:49Z")
BTW an example of its use is: Person 1: So that’s how it’s done… Person 2: Aw yeah. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aw-yeah-just-aussie/695671/11 "2014-08-17T04:47:36Z")
I hear it a lot in every day conversation used almost in place of “really?”. “We finally tried that restaurant you recommended.” “Aw yeah? How’d you like it?” Or as a replacement for something like “heck yes” or “oh sure”. “Do you eat here often?” “Aw yeah, I’m here at least 3 times a week.” ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aw-yeah-just-aussie/695671/12 "2014-08-17T04:56:22Z")
Yea this wouldn’t seem out of place in USA conversion to me, is the possibly Texas exclusive “aw yup” close enough to count? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aw-yeah-just-aussie/695671/13 "2014-08-17T13:48:23Z")
I second **Hampshire’s** observations in post #11. My neck of the woods is SE Louisiana. Now, that initial “aw” can come out as “aw”, “oh”, “mmm”, or “uh” (schwa sound). With different emphases and durations (drawn-out vs. clipped) for both the initial syllable and the “yeah”. There are many variations. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aw-yeah-just-aussie/695671/14 "2014-08-17T16:30:12Z")
Yeah - right. ---
**Author:** ![dstarfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dstarfire/32/5762_2.png) [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aw-yeah-just-aussie/695671/15 "2014-08-18T21:51:31Z")
Sounds to me like a variation of the american “oh, yeah” that’s commonly heard in response to a reminder. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aw-yeah-just-aussie/695671/16 "2014-08-18T22:03:39Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > Yeah - right. [Indeed.](http://www.buzzfeed.com/copyranter/the-best-of-the-tasteless-tuis-billboards) “[Yeah, Nah](http://nzguide.newzealand.co.nz/kiwispeak/index.php?todo=list_records&order_by=Saying&FirstLetter=Y)” is great for confusing foreigners.