Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1998 10:39:33 +1000
From: Ross Chambers
Subject: Strine - Death of a Lexicographer

The obituary of Alastair Morrison, Painter and author 1911-1998 appeared
today in the Sydney Morning Herald.

A brief summary:
He saw himself as a painter and designer but Alastair Morrison was
better known as the scholarly Professor Afferbeck Lauder.
Morrison/Lauder, who has died in Fremantle (West Australia) aged 86
after a brief illness, revealed in 1965 that Australians spoke not
English, but a language called Strine.

Morrison's first book of Strine, "Let Stalk Strine" (1965), was an
instant bestseller. Afferbeck Lauder, Professor of Strine Studies at the
University of Sinny, presented to the English speaking world the first
annotated lexicon of Strine usage.

Some entries:

Baked necks: A popular breakfast dish. Others include emma necks;
scremblex; and fright shops.

Dimension: The usual response to "Thenk you" or "Thenk, smite"

Garment: An invitation to visit. As in: "Garment seamy anile seward icon
do." And: "Garment the garden, Maud, I mirrored the gaiter loan."

Jess Tefter; Lefter: It is necessary to. As in: "She'll jess tefter get
chews twit." or "You lefter filner form."

Semmitch: Two slices of bread with a filling in between, e.g.
M-semmitch; semmon semmitch; chee semmitch.

Spin-ear Mitch: Much alike, closely resembling one another. As in "He's
the spin-ear mitch of his old man."

Translations upon request! Ross Chambers
--

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ross Chambers Sydney Australia
maelduin[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ozemail.com.au

"L'Australia non e solo agli antipodi, e lontana da tutto,
talora anche da sa stessa."

(Australia is not only at the Antipodes, she is away from everything,
sometimes even from herself)

Umberto Eco

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx