Changing language
- k7oaks
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Changing language
I didn't know where to put this entry, so I decided to stick it here.
Over the last few years I've thoroughly enjoyed being on this forum & seeing & reading about places, people, cars, speedway items & old photos of mine that have jogged the memories of this old fart.
Something that I noticed early in the piece was the changing language. I suppose it's only logical, as most of anything to do with hot rodding is related to the USA.
( I used to be a mad Ford man myself way back then, owning many, from a 1932 V8 with the single throat carby, to a 1948 Mercury, & a couple of A models before I got into speedway)
For example, 50 odd years ago, we never had fenders, we had mudguards, hoods were bonnets, trunks were boots, rumble seats were dickie seats, pick ups were utes, headers were extractors, wrenches were spanners & a Hilux (or equivalent) wasn't a truck, and the one that got me was "flathead motors", we always called them "side valve" motors, and we parked our cars on the footpath, not the sidewalk.
A lot of the Australian language is being lost to the American influence, but I suppose that is to be expected with the world shrinking the way it is.
I'm not having a bitch, just a rambling observation !
Over the last few years I've thoroughly enjoyed being on this forum & seeing & reading about places, people, cars, speedway items & old photos of mine that have jogged the memories of this old fart.
Something that I noticed early in the piece was the changing language. I suppose it's only logical, as most of anything to do with hot rodding is related to the USA.
( I used to be a mad Ford man myself way back then, owning many, from a 1932 V8 with the single throat carby, to a 1948 Mercury, & a couple of A models before I got into speedway)
For example, 50 odd years ago, we never had fenders, we had mudguards, hoods were bonnets, trunks were boots, rumble seats were dickie seats, pick ups were utes, headers were extractors, wrenches were spanners & a Hilux (or equivalent) wasn't a truck, and the one that got me was "flathead motors", we always called them "side valve" motors, and we parked our cars on the footpath, not the sidewalk.
A lot of the Australian language is being lost to the American influence, but I suppose that is to be expected with the world shrinking the way it is.
I'm not having a bitch, just a rambling observation !
Ken 7
- Big G
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Re: Changing language
Yeah we are now Yankeetized.
Founding Oz E Rodder Member
I've lost the Plot
One day I will find it !
I've lost the Plot
One day I will find it !
- rx4ord
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Re: Changing language
And the word "chassis" is not pronounced shassy any more.
People here now use the Yank "ch" as in choice.
Not this little black duck.
I have never used the 24 -7 in my speech and never will.
I guess I am an Aussie really.
Dave
People here now use the Yank "ch" as in choice.
Not this little black duck.
I have never used the 24 -7 in my speech and never will.
I guess I am an Aussie really.
Dave
Founding Member of OZ-E-Rodders
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Re: Changing language
I,m the same, still call it a turret,not a roof. Sill panels not rockers. Mud guards not fenders or wings if your a Pom. Boot lid not trunk. Bonnet not hood. Front apron panel, beaver panel, front door pillar, centre pillar, dog leg pillar were all names I was taught back in the sixties. I know we have gone international in some, like A, B and C pillars etc. but I still talk Australian.
Cheers GT
Cheers GT
- Grazza
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Re: Changing language
Had thoughts along your line just this morning Ken. While sitting at my favorite coffee shop I noticed a few blokes walking toward me. They were all wearing T shirts, carrying the logo of something American. As I looked down at my So-Cal T shirt I thought why don't we see ANDRA shirts instead of NHRA ones, or Waggot Cams instead of Isky ones. Even our Speedway shirts are American in the main. Yep become so Americanised in this country, New Zealand will be known as the 53 State soon.
Graeme
I will forever defend your right
to disagree with my opinion.
"Within 5mm is Close Enough"
I will forever defend your right
to disagree with my opinion.
"Within 5mm is Close Enough"
- 35coupe
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Re: Changing language
I use terms such as hood, fender, roof, a/b/c pillar, deck lid and liftgate through influence from my North American employer.
Growing up, we would use bonnet, guard, boot but how did we end up with those terms? Surely it must pre-date fomoco?
Growing up, we would use bonnet, guard, boot but how did we end up with those terms? Surely it must pre-date fomoco?
- FRANK BASILE
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Re: Changing language
I remember a difference here with "Headers" and Extractors" though from way back . I recall both terms used in OZ. Extractors were originally that as we know them with longer "tuned" lengths of pipe . Headers were an adaption of stock manifolds .Good example is" block hugger" headers. My impression is that the US uses a generic term "headers" and some here have become lazy and followed suit.
The 1960's were awash with "extractor" fitted grey block Holdens
The 1960's were awash with "extractor" fitted grey block Holdens
OZ-E-Rodders Rod and Kustom Club Member #31
- 7cylinderHEMI
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Re: Changing language
It's funny you mention the Chassy pronounciaton ,,,I was at a Mildura rod run in 1977 ,there was a higher profile NSW Rodder there hanging with some magazine people ,I was asking around for a 34 Chassy and didn't I get hammered down and publicly humiliated by this bloke and his cronies for my poor pronounciaton ,,never forgot it ,,rx4ord wrote:And the word "chassis" is not pronounced shassy any more.
People here now use the Yank "ch" as in choice.
Not this little black duck.
I have never used the 24 -7 in my speech and never will.
I guess I am an Aussie really.
Dave
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Re: Changing language
Every time I hear someone talk of their "coop" I think of chickens.
- Carps
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Re: Changing language
Our hobby was born and bred in America. We learned about it from reading American magazines then adopted it as our own and it's based on American cars which was made very clear from the very first Aussie Hot Rodding rule books.
So it's only natural that we use American terminology.
Fact is, a '32 Ford was born with fenders and running boards, Australians changed it to mudguards when those cars arrived here.
Interestingly the Fenders, Running Boards, Chassis and engine Hoods all arrived here from Canada, on the rolling chassis, where they were called exactly that.
So in my world the reality is this, my MG has wings, not mudguards or fenders, my Humpy has mudguards not fenders or wings and my old Ford it has fenders and running boards and that's how it should be if we are to be so pedantic as to get our knickers in a twist or our panties in a bunch over the use of 'the right' terminoligy to describe parts of our cars.
Being multi lingual, I understand what others mean no matter what they call the various parts of an automobile, motor car, Jalopy or whatever you choose to call the machine and having travelled the world, what I have learned is that hot rodding and car guy speak is a universal language understood by us all even when we don't speak in the same tongue.
That's my 20 cents worth and I'm running with it.
So it's only natural that we use American terminology.
Fact is, a '32 Ford was born with fenders and running boards, Australians changed it to mudguards when those cars arrived here.
Interestingly the Fenders, Running Boards, Chassis and engine Hoods all arrived here from Canada, on the rolling chassis, where they were called exactly that.
So in my world the reality is this, my MG has wings, not mudguards or fenders, my Humpy has mudguards not fenders or wings and my old Ford it has fenders and running boards and that's how it should be if we are to be so pedantic as to get our knickers in a twist or our panties in a bunch over the use of 'the right' terminoligy to describe parts of our cars.
Being multi lingual, I understand what others mean no matter what they call the various parts of an automobile, motor car, Jalopy or whatever you choose to call the machine and having travelled the world, what I have learned is that hot rodding and car guy speak is a universal language understood by us all even when we don't speak in the same tongue.
That's my 20 cents worth and I'm running with it.
Young Carps
My people skills are just fine.
It's my tolerance to idiots that needs work.
My people skills are just fine.
It's my tolerance to idiots that needs work.
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Re: Changing language
...fuckin' awesome man.....
-------------
Col....
"Works" comes before "looks good", cos "looks good" changes, and "works" works!
Col....
"Works" comes before "looks good", cos "looks good" changes, and "works" works!
- Carps
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Re: Changing language
While I'm at it, since I know the vehicle intimately and have much experience in explaining to people why it is a truck, I'll cover this one also.k7oaks wrote: .....Hilux (or equivalent) wasn't a truck,
Truck (noun): a motor vehicle for carrying heavy loads. Any wheeled structure for moving heavy goodssuch as a railwayvan or a handcart (AKA trolly).
The very first Hilux was based off the Stout, which shared it's chassis and drivetrain with the ToyoAce light truck. Stout was built with a conventional two box body on a ladder tyrpe chassis, and ToyoAce, a cab over engine one box body on the same chassis. ToyoAce is still in the line-up alongside the not so heavy duty LiteAce truck, which is a HiAce based forward control Cab Chassis model. All of these trucks are mebers of the Toyota Dyna/Hino Dutro light to meduim duty Truck family.
Hilux was introduced in 1968 replacing the Lite Stout truck with a 1000kg payload capacity. Like every other truck, Hilux can be configured by the owner for any job of work that they require it to do. Some are sold with differing styles of box (look it up in yer Funk n Wagnels ) already attached to the chassis behind the cabin. Other versions are sold with only the cabin fitted to the chassis so that owners may install a purpose built tub, box, flatbed tray, or whatever style of body structure will enable them to do the job of work for which they purchsaed the truck. Some are even fitted with a fith wheel hitch, for serious towing duty. Hilux and many other heavier duty trucks are often provided with more than two passenger doors and seats in order to fulfill the need to move workers and their equipment etc, to the workplace, military vehicles and fire appliances being a good case in point. Because of their versatility Hilux based trucks have also become popular for family use. However, one of the most common complaints from families is that they ride hard and are not as comfortable as a passenger car. That's because thay are trucks and if the chassis and suspension were tuned for comfort and sporty handling, then they could not be used as a load carrying truck.
On the other hand, the vehicle we all know and love as a 'Ute' was not purpose built as a truck, but is indeed a Coupe, (defined by my Australian Dictionary as "An enclosed motor car with only two doors: From the Latin 'Couple' meaning: Two things or people together. That same dictionary also offers two pronuciations for the word being; koopay or koop) that has the rear 'deck' configured like a box, to allow carriage of a light load of goods or produce etc. Hence the name given to the vehicle by it's creator, "Coupe Utility". A Coupe Utility is based on a passnger vehicle and nowadays usually has a payload capacity around half that of a light duty truck or pick-up truck.
I'm thinking one of the interesting things in this post is the dictionary pointing to two different pronuciations of the same word and with the same meaning. This is in fact quite common in the English language as is the use of different words to describe the same thing. For example, all of the vehicles discussed above can be equally and correctly (accurately is another word with an identical dictinary definition) descibed as, Wagons! Additionally, most of us are old enough that we should clearly understand how language changes with time and evolution of the species. Words that are now in daily use did not exist before we had the internet, others didn't exist until we got smart communications devices like iPads and SMS capable mobile phones. We always had cameras, but never was a photograph of ones self called a Selfie until recent times. Yup, just as we eveolve so too does our language, many of the words have evolved from non English languages like Latin, Greek, French and many others. Despite our English language we use the Arabic numbering system. And here's something to rub salt into the wounds of folks who bemoan that we now use more Americanisms in our version of the English language than when we were Prisoners Of Mother England. Many English schollars proclaim that the US version of their language is now the purest form, as a result of how it has evolved in other English speaking nations.
Thanks largely to all this knowledge, I remain constantly ammused that we expend so much valuable energy debating what is the correct terminoligy for things when there are so many variations in word applicability and that we all understand those words and what they all mean no matter what context they are used.
The bottom line is this, you may consider me truculent, but that's only because I know the difference between a truck and something that imitates but is not really a truck.
Young Carps
My people skills are just fine.
It's my tolerance to idiots that needs work.
My people skills are just fine.
It's my tolerance to idiots that needs work.
- rx4ord
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Re: Changing language
So mister correc,t and the pedantic one, I suppose we should call those
big things that pull trailers as in semi or B double TRACTORS just like the yanks!!
So what the fuck are those things that pull ploughs and harrows ???
Dave the pedant chaser.
big things that pull trailers as in semi or B double TRACTORS just like the yanks!!
So what the fuck are those things that pull ploughs and harrows ???
Dave the pedant chaser.
Founding Member of OZ-E-Rodders
- woody28A
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Re: Changing language
Peasants?rx4ord wrote: So what the fuck are those things that pull ploughs and harrows ???
Dave the pedant chaser.
Remember this life is a test. If it had been a real life you would have received further instructions on where to go and what to do!!!!!
- k7oaks
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Re: Changing language
Gees Carp, as I said "I'm not having a bitch, just a rambling observation". I did a lot of work on Toyota Stouts in PNG in the 1960's, & they were always referred to as "utes", even though they may have had the qualifications to be a little bitty truck.
If pedantics are to come into it, you are right, but to the casual observer, they were just a ute.(Albeit a heavier version of the "coupe" type ute).
Just the ramblings of an old fart .
If pedantics are to come into it, you are right, but to the casual observer, they were just a ute.(Albeit a heavier version of the "coupe" type ute).
Just the ramblings of an old fart .
Ken 7