How you say?

No wonder people think Canberra is boring if this is the most scintillating thing you have to talk about….

That’s the short version, yes.

: )

Granny said :

According to Wikipedia ‘the longest official geographical name in Australia is Mamungkukumpurangkuntjunya Hill. It is a Pitjantjatjara word meaning “where the Devil urinates”.’

lyneham flats???

According to Wikipedia ‘the longest official geographical name in Australia is Mamungkukumpurangkuntjunya Hill. It is a Pitjantjatjara word meaning “where the Devil urinates”.’

Even they just call it Wagga.

But what about Jyndabine or Gundaroo.

GB said :

“where are you from?”

“Australia”

And how do you pronounce ‘Australia’?

Some fey individuals insert four syllables, but I find it difficult to get three out of it. I’m starting to wonder whether there are any place names that Australians pronounce with any more than two and a bit syllables… maybe that’s the rule… If it doesn’t fit into less than three syllables, force it!

Even the place where I grew up, Cabramatta, which clearly was intended by some pommy bastard (not our pommy bastard, just a generic one from the nineteenth century) to be pronounced with four syllables, is generally pronounced with barely three (the glottal stop between the last two is sublimated). And that’s true of all the nationalities that call the place home.

I think we should have a contest to see if anyone can find a place in Australia that is pronounced (by the locals) with clearly more than three syllables… Excluding places like Wagga Wagga, who are obviously cheating.

Sigh. We really need a phonetic language. And an ability to read it. Any opera singers out there?

Ozpuck said :

Before I moved to Canberra, I used Peter Harvey as my guide “Kan-bra”.

Not knowing who Peter Harvey is, do you mean “bra” as in the lingerie item, or the sound at the end of “Debra”?

I’d still like a poll on the pronunciation of Canbourough.

In terms of establishment versus plebeians, Lady Denman appears to be the establishment spokesperson who advocated the emphasis on the first syllable.

GB is right in describing the three syllable, emphasis on the second syllable crowd as fancying that they are showing a superior education. The emphasis is on fancying – it’s very “new money”.

Wikipedia says it’s JERvis. Me, myself and I wouldn’t know.

johnboy said :

Wrong Wrong Wrong

The bay was named after the famous Admiral Lord John Jervis, the Earl St Vincent. His name is most definitely pronounced JAHvis, and so therefore is the bay.

Actually it would be “Jer vays”

Wrong Wrong Wrong

The bay was named after the famous Admiral Lord John Jervis, the Earl St Vincent. His name is most definitely pronounced JAHvis, and so therefore is the bay.

I-filed said :

What’s the correct pronunciation for Jervis Bay?

It’s Jervis as spelt, not “Jarvis” (which seems to have its source in the pronunciation of Derby (“Darby”)). In the Navy it was also referred to as JayBee, and it was common to say “Are you happy in the sarvice at Jarvis?”.

Ozpuck said :

Before I moved to Canberra, I used Peter Harvey as my guide “Kan-bra”. I didn’t stick out much when I moved here – either among native born or the recent immigrants.

I think you did, but people were just being polite. Or they found it exceedingly hilarious that someone did it, and wasn’t intentionally trying to take the piss.
I know I wouldn’t put a stop to that kind of fun…

Before I moved to Canberra, I used Peter Harvey as my guide “Kan-bra”. I didn’t stick out much when I moved here – either among native born or the recent immigrants.

Now as an expat I enjoy watching Sydney newsreaders dealing with place names. “Gunga-lin” (yes, rhymes with Gunga Din) is a particular favourite.

If by “correct” you mean “probably won’t embarrass you”, then you may need to know who you are talking to.

But either Can-BERRA or CANBER-uh (both rhyme with “error”) will usually mark you out as either from out of town, or fancying that you are showing superior education. Whereas most variations on CAN-brah (rhymes with various pronunciations of “borough”) will get you through. And note that ‘Rhymes with “borough”’ is also completely ambiguous, as it can have many pronunciations, with one or two syllables.

Myself, in most contexts I say something like the two-and-a-bit syllable CAMbruh:

* accent on the long first syllable,
* closing lips before the ‘b’ makes the ‘n’ into ‘m’,
* ‘br’ is a vanishingly short pseudo-syllable,
* ‘uh’ is short.

But in fancy company, I notice that I make an effort to make the three-syllable version with an ‘n’ in it.

OTOH, if by “correct” you mean “is the agreed official pronunciation that accords with what most people say”, then you’ve lucked out. There is no such beast.

Reminds me of a conversation I had with a Norwegian truck driver when I asked “how should I pronounce Göteberg?”

“where are you from?”

“Australia”

“well then you pronounce it GOT-en-beurgh”. But I was born in Norway, so I say Eyut-ta-burger. That is the correct way for me. The Swedish all say it differently anyway”.

Clarification: Security monitoring, not security front-desk people.
Its only really a useful conversation for sizing up if your requesting caller is from a flyspeck monitoring company out-of-state company.

But prettymuch.
Gossip for a bit, pull up their service request history, find records that haven’t had followup contact or hasn’t been paid for, mention the service docket by reference number, see how you go.

Granny said :

Radonezh, you will never get me saying MaNOOka – no matter how correct! I would feel like an idiot. Over my dead vocal chords ….

🙂 LOL.

When I worked in Security, it was always a quick and easy test (and fun) for finding out if the person you were talking to over the phone was actually from Canberra to ask about some street addresses in Manuka, Ngunnawal, Tuggeranong, Belconnen, Gungahlin, or Gundaroo.

How would you go about this Skid? I mean, direct the conversation with them to prompt them to pronounce the suburbs?

When I worked in Security, it was always a quick and easy test (and fun) for finding out if the person you were talking to over the phone was actually from Canberra to ask about some street addresses in Manuka, Ngunnawal, Tuggeranong, Belconnen, Gungahlin, or Gundaroo.

Apparently, they’re hard to pronounce if you’ve only ever seen them written down. Or worse, if the people in your office originally had no idea and just guessed, but everyone believed they were right…

Peter Sterling seems to call it Cairn-bra when he mentions the Raiders.

> Curiously “Manuka” doesn’t even appear in the ACT govs “Origins and meanings of Canberra’s suburb and street names” website.

Manuka isn’t a suburb, it’s a shopping centre.

Radonezh, you will never get me saying MaNOOka – no matter how correct! I would feel like an idiot. Over my dead vocal chords ….

niftydog said :

Curiously “Manuka” doesn’t even appear in the ACT govs “Origins and meanings of Canberra’s suburb and street names” website.

No, but the following link has a pretty good explanation, particularly in relation to the reason why it should be MaNOOka not MAHnooka:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuka,_Australian_Capital_Territory

Pommy bastard said :

It would appear I’m not the only one confused, watch this;

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=Vj3bZtMTAVk

Ah, it does my little heart good to see the youth questioning the establishment …. This young lady will go far in life.

Oops! Perhaps I shouldn’t like her. She might be too beautiful. Perhaps I should send my huntsman to bring me her heart in a jewelled box … oh, wrong thread!

*tee hee*

Pommy bastard said :

Granny said :

Queen-bee-ARN is to Queanbeyan as Taj-AY is to Target ….

Surely no one pronounces the “n” in Quee bee ahn?

I would imagine that everyone pronounces the “N” in Queenbeyan.

I pronouce it Queen-beyun.

Do people not think that the “Can-bra” pronounciation sounds rather plebian?

So does many a Pom 😛

Joe Canberran said :

Other trivia that may or may not be correct: Belconnen was so named when the surveyor mapping the region asked his aboriginal guide “what is this place called?” and received the reply “Belconnen”, not indicating the location’s name but in fact meaning “I don’t know”

Hmmm. I’ve heard this about the naming of the Kangaroo as well. But snopes message boards are divided, and the source seems to be Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, which is hardly authoritative.

Curiously “Manuka” doesn’t even appear in the ACT govs “Origins and meanings of Canberra’s suburb and street names” website.

johnboy said :

Isn’t the correct rendering of the Aranda tribe now “Arrente”?

Don’t know, it was almost 20 years ago I was there, its quite possible there has been a revision since.

Isn’t the correct rendering of the Aranda tribe now “Arrente”?

It would appear I’m not the only one confused, watch this;

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=Vj3bZtMTAVk

Granny said :

Queen-bee-ARN is to Queanbeyan as Taj-AY is to Target ….

Surely no one pronounces the “n” in Quee bee ahn?

I thought I pronounced it “Can-berra (Rhymes with “error”)” as, being born and breed here in a family that values education, I’ve always thought that that was the correct pronunciation. But listening to myself speak it in general conversation i actually say “Can-bra (Rhymes with “bra”)” more often than not. Which one is ‘correct’? Haven’t a clue 🙂

As for the meaning? Well I was of the understanding that the meeting place definition was the correct one BUT that it had a dual meaning in that is was also ‘the meeting place between two mountains’ in such not mean breast but cleavage!

Other trivia that may or may not be correct: Belconnen was so named when the surveyor mapping the region asked his aboriginal guide “what is this place called?” and received the reply “Belconnen”, not indicating the location’s name but in fact meaning “I don’t know”

Also to show that what we call things here does not indicate the correct pronunciation of how the root aboriginal word; Aranda is pronounced by Canberrans as a-ran-da. When I was in the NT years ago I visited the area the Aranda tribe comes from, the tribe the Canberran suburb is named after, and was reliably informed the tribe and corresponding area in the NT is pronounced aaran-da (like the name Aaron but with an a).

I am a Can-brah native now living in the Midwestern US. I was eating at a restaurant, some of you may be familiar with, called Outback Steakhouse; An Australian themed restaurant with Aussie paraphernalia on the walls, “Australian” named food and a couple of descent Aussie beers. I ordered the “Canberra Seared Chicken” and the waiter turned to me and said “Its pronounced Can-berra” to which I replied “I think it’s Can-brah”, he then said “No, no, no, it’s pronounced Can-berra” I turned to him and said “I lived there for 18 years, I ought to know how it’s pronounced…” His face turned red, he finished taking the orders and left. I didn’t want to be rude to him but, what ever happened to the customer is always right? That’s how all Americans pronounce it; Can-berra…sends a chill down my spine.

How does it sound with your teeth out?

There is no “correct” way to pronounce Canberra. For as long as I can remember it has been pronounced in umpteen different ways depending on which school, State, country the pronouncer is from. It also depends on whether you have your teeth in or out.

Can-bra for me (but the ‘a’ in can is short and is not emphasized.

Queen-bee-ARN is to Queanbeyan as Taj-AY is to Target ….

PommyBastard wrote:

Pommy bastard said :

Do people not think that the “Can-bra” pronounciation sounds rather plebian?

Yes, exactly, that’s why it’s the correct way of saying. Saying it in a non-plebian way would indicate that one is weak, lilly-livered and a whinger.

Holden Caulfield wrote:

Holden Caulfield said :

Haven’t heard that one, but I believe Manuka was pronounced Mun-oo-ka until QEII visted Canberra and called it Marn-akah, hence, that’s what we know it as today.

Agreed, in fact it was named after an NZ shrub since famous for its healing honey.. the ManUka. Coz many of the suburbs and streets were named after plants and places in the Colonies which were slated to join the Federation. NZ participated in the drafting of the Constitution, therefore Telopea and Manuka were included in the place names of the city – both originating from NZ.

Olwen wrote:

Olwen said :

and also it IS jerra-bom-bra

Nonsense. I live there. Everyone calls it either Jerra or Jerra-BOMB-berra. No one kills the last two syllables and most definitely no one says “Jerra-bomb-BER-ra” – an instant sign that one is from Sydney.

Pommy Bastard wrote:

Pommy bastard said :

I’ve always used “Quee-Bee-ahn”, I suppose you’re going to tell me I’m wrong?

No, I don’t think you are wrong exactly.

I’ve heard some former Sydney residents living here call it “Queen-bee-ARN” (almost a posh English-sounding pronounciation) but they have to be wrong, simply because they are from Sydney, and also because “posh” and “Australia” should never be associated with each other because being posh is an insult in Australia.

As a kid, I remember seeing the old CSIRO black and white TV documentaries calling it “QUEEN-bee-an” (short “a” in the ‘yan’ as in ‘can’ or ‘pan’). Being a QUEENSlander, it makes sense to me that the emphasis would be on the first syllable, not on the last. And of course, Queenslanders are always right, even when we’re wrong. Therefore I agree with Trevar on this one.

But the best thing to do, being British, is to correct Australians and make them speak like you. Take it from me, it’s the best way for you to win friends and influence people. We love it when people tell us that we’re wrong – particularly the British.

What’s the correct pronunciation for Jervis Bay?

When I was visiting England I got a real complex about my ‘flat vowels’ and came home believing I needed speech therapy or elocution lessons at the very least …

Moses supposes his toeses are roses
But Moses supposes erroneously
Moses he knowses his toeses aren’t roses
As Moses supposes his toeses to be

… and all that.

The landlady in Manchester made it even worse when she said, “You’ve got more of a twang than he does,” which just goes to show that nice Melbourne boys are brung up better.

Like almost any language Australian English has its little quirks and shortening words/phrases is just a part of it. There was a good doco about the origins of the Australian Accent/language on the ABC a while ago. In a nut shell Australian English can be divided into 3 general categories: Strine- basically most rural areas and Steve Irwin, Modern- what you hear most of the time in metropolitan areas and on the news and Refined- a mix of England English (not cockney) and Modern Australian, basically a lot like the late Peter Leonard on WIN news or some of the voice overs you hear on old TV shows, sometimes its natural but many people train themselves to speak ‘refined’ as a way to distance themselves from the ‘shrimp on the barbie’ stereotype. The short of it is simple, if anyone has tried to learn another language (even speaking in a fake American accent) Australians don’t move their mouths a whole lot.

I’ve hit this issue so many times when I was living in Berlin… People always ask where you come from ‘Ich komme aus Australien’ then they ask exactly where and I replied, being a born and bred Canberran with a normal modern accent:

“Ich wohne im Can-brah”

For the life of me 80% of people diddn’t understand until I said the capital city and since in German you pronounce every letter (although there are some exceptions), they replied “oh, du kommst aus Can-ber-ra.”

bd84 said :

Canberrans are generally lazy and the majority of people here incorrectly pronounce it “can-bra”. The only reason “can-bruh” comes about is more lazy people (typically of news bulletins) saying Canberra quickly so avoids them saying the proper “can-berra” or sounding stupid saying “can-bra” like a redneck Queenslander.

It is properly said can-berra, in the same way we are can-berr-ans, not can-brans nor can-bruhns.

Simple.

Source?

Canberrans are generally lazy and the majority of people here incorrectly pronounce it “can-bra”. The only reason “can-bruh” comes about is more lazy people (typically of news bulletins) saying Canberra quickly so avoids them saying the proper “can-berra” or sounding stupid saying “can-bra” like a redneck Queenslander.

It is properly said can-berra, in the same way we are can-berr-ans, not can-brans nor can-bruhns.

Simple.

Holden Caulfield said :

Overheard said :

Stop me if this has been said before, but I have a memory that the dame (?) who named our fair city in the first place ar$ed it up, though whether we’re perpetuating her mistake or saying it as it should, I don’t know/recall.

Haven’t heard that one, but I believe Manuka was pronounced Mun-oo-ka until QEII visted Canberra and called it Marn-akah, hence, that’s what we know it as today.

On to the Monaro pronunciation. I always pronounce the highway, and the Eden-Monaro electorate as Mon-air-o, but I always pronounce the car Mon-arr-o. Yet, the car is named after the Mon-air-o region. Go figure!

Haven’t been able to find much through some basic searches, only this from an un-authoratative source:

Who announced the name of the future capital city with the words, “I name the capital of Australia, Canberra”?

Lady Denman. Lady Denman was the wife of the Governor-General, Sir Thomas Denman. She proclaimed the name with the accent on the “CAN”, thus setting its future pronunciation.

Proving nothing!

I’ve never heard a single rusted-on Canberra native pronounce it with three syllables. Ever.

CAN beh-ruh for me.

niftydog said :

Given most of us are pretty lazy, I’d say that’s about spot on. But the second syllable in the three syllable form should be very short and subtle, almost non-existent.

“can-b-rahh” not “can-bear-ahh”.

I agree with nifty dog. I pronounce it with 2 and a bit syllables but with my mumbling it probably sounds like 2. I’m a born and bred Canberranian as well.

At least Can-bra sounds better than Austraiya – that makes me sick when I hear that.

Overheard said :

Stop me if this has been said before, but I have a memory that the dame (?) who named our fair city in the first place ar$ed it up, though whether we’re perpetuating her mistake or saying it as it should, I don’t know/recall.

Haven’t heard that one, but I believe Manuka was pronounced Mun-oo-ka until QEII visted Canberra and called it Marn-akah, hence, that’s what we know it as today.

On to the Monaro pronunciation. I always pronounce the highway, and the Eden-Monaro electorate as Mon-air-o, but I always pronounce the car Mon-arr-o. Yet, the car is named after the Mon-air-o region. Go figure!

Does anyone know how to set up a poll on riot act? I’d like to see how many votes the various pronunciations get.

Thanks

We have a saying in our music/dance/spoken word association:

‘Mon-ahr-ow’ is a car; ‘Mon-air-ow’ is a folk society.

Overheard said :

Stop me if this has been said before, but I have a memory that the dame (?) who named our fair city in the first place ar$ed it up, though whether we’re perpetuating her mistake or saying it as it should, I don’t know/recall.

Actually, the dame was a lady (Denman).

nope…*shakes head* it IS monAIRo highway (not sure why, but it just is)

and also it IS jerra-bom-bra

oh and please stay away from Manuka… sorry Luther, it’s not logical, phonetical or even sensible…

trevar said :

If we were to adhere rigidly to the idea that the letters in a word or name indicate the way they are pronounced, we would find ourselves with a very awkward political situation. Even so, the way you pronounce the name of this city indicates whether you’re one of us or not. Those who can pronounce it in fewer than three syllables are ours; and those who can’t are visitors.

Yea and verily, rightly or wrongly, it’s a ‘shibboleth’.

A bit like the town of Rabaul in Papua New Guinea. If you pronounce it ‘Ra-ball’ then you ain’t been there nor heard someone who knows it pronounce it proper like.

Stop me if this has been said before, but I have a memory that the dame (?) who named our fair city in the first place ar$ed it up, though whether we’re perpetuating her mistake or saying it as it should, I don’t know/recall.

trevar said :

A similar principle applies across the border, but it’s a little more rigid. In most country towns, you have to live there for thirty years to become a local, but in Queanbeyan, you just have to learn to pronounce the name.

I’ve always used “Quee-Bee-ahn”, I suppose you’re going to tell me I’m wrong?

Right. Pronunciation in this city really gets to me. To answer the question, it’s Can-bra. Jessica Good said it. QED.

Now… *hops on soapbox*

MANUKA: It’s freakin ma-NOO-kah, not MAH-n’kah
MONARO: Pronounce it like the car. I don’t see A-I-R in that word anywhere.
JERRABOMBERRA: It’s jerra-bom-berra, not jerra-bom-bra.

I think we need more suburbs like Bruce. Bogan-ness at its best.

No, if you pronounce it in three, you’re too slow. Speed it up; there are two and a bit.

A similar principle applies across the border, but it’s a little more rigid. In most country towns, you have to live there for thirty years to become a local, but in Queanbeyan, you just have to learn to pronounce the name. I had to do it in 1998. It also has two and a bit, not three. And the emphasis, like Canberra, is on the first syllable.

Cam’bruh – when you pronounce it quickly the ‘n’ followed by ‘b’ turns into an m on the way. The ‘uh’ is very short. Accent on the first syllable of course …

But ‘Canberran’ is pronounced quite differently. The emphasis is on the ‘n’ followed by another emphasis on the ‘e’ and it turns less into an ‘m’ between the ‘n’ and ‘b’ …

Surely “in three syllables”?

If we were to adhere rigidly to the idea that the letters in a word or name indicate the way they are pronounced, we would find ourselves with a very awkward political situation. Even so, the way you pronounce the name of this city indicates whether you’re one of us or not. Those who can pronounce it in fewer than three syllables are ours; and those who can’t are visitors.

jakez said :

sepi said :

and MelBun (not Mel born).

I’ve always pronounced it closer to ‘Mel-bin’.

Olwen said :

I’m enjoying calling it ‘The Can’ atm 🙂

*hoot*

Remembered. Stored. Will be used.

Canbra – definitely! Nothing pleb about it. Canberror sounds much more bogan and/or american… not good! from a second generation, born and bred, Canberran.

I’m enjoying calling it ‘The Can’ atm 🙂

sepi said :

Can Bruh.

and MelBun (not Mel born).

Shortened sounds – bit like pronouncing Worchestershire sauce really.

Can bruh for me too.

You are also correct about the pronounciation of Melbourne. Non-Victorians always pronounce it almost like yanks.

frontrow said :

About as Plebeian as a few gems like St John, Featherstonehaugh and Chulmondley

Actually old chum;

St John,(Sin-Geon)
Featherstonehaugh(Fan-Shaw)
Chulmondley (Chum-Ley)

are fine examples of “received pronunciation,” and therefore at the opposite end of the social scale from the plebeian.

Not that there’s anything wrong with plebs, I come from a long line of plebs. I know my place.

Holden Caulfield said :

Skidd Marx said :

BTW, does anyone have any firm arguments as to what is the official aboriginal translation of the word “Canberra”? The most common one is “meeting place” but I have also read that it can be translated as “woman’s breasts” after the profile created between Mt.Majura and Mt Ainslie. Being a titties man, this definition obviously appeals to me a great deal more than the meeting place one. I have also read that “Canberra” translates to some type of native bird.

I have heard the breast theory, but thought it Black Mountain and Mt Ainslie.

Either way, I hope you live between two of these delightful mounts, which, of course, would be the meeting place between the two breasts. Perfect.

It was my understanding that Canberra doesn’t mean women’s breasts, it is actually Monaro which was originally Manneroo.

Pommy bastard said :

Do people not think that the “Can-bra” pronounciation sounds rather plebian?

Not really, PB. I’ve lived here for most of my life and it has always universally been referred to as ‘Can-bruhh’. (Can-BRA is a range of women’s under-garments fashioned out of used soft drink tins.)

Saying ‘Can-berror’ instantly labels you as an out-of-towner, and persistent use of same when faced with evidence to the contrary usually means you’re dealing with a $hit-stirrer, especially the sort who come from interstate and stay and stay and stay, but continue to bag the place out on a daily basis. Gotta love those guys.

Conversely, I use the phrase ‘Canberrians’ all the time, more as a pi$$-take, and to watch the purists spit out their lattes in outrage. Go figure.

95% of us will probably have to google “define:plebian” before responding, so I doubt many would agree… unless of course we are all happy being labelled as plebs, in which case, bring on the plebianedness.

I’d also say 95% of us locals find the three syllable version a bit snooty.

OT – Why don’t Tasmania and Tanzania rhyme?

radonezh said :

No one seems to say the “n” in “Canberra” either.. it seems to disappear into a sort of an indistinct “m” sound, as in “Cambra”

Yes. Absolutely. That is how I have pronounced it for 45 years. Of course I won’t admit to it. I will admit to it being pronounced Can-brah, but I am a lazy speaker.

Pommy bastard said :

Do people not think that the “Can-bra” pronounciation sounds rather plebian?

No. Perhaps a tad lazy, laid-back, informal, but not plebian. HOwever, on the otherhand, I don’t know of any patriachial speakers. Perhaps I just move in the wrong ruts?

About as Plebeian as a few gems like St John, Featherstonehaugh and Chulmondley

Where is this plebia you speak of?

Do people not think that the “Can-bra” pronounciation sounds rather plebian?

How Canfuzing!

No one seems to say the “n” in “Canberra” either.. it seems to disappear into a sort of an indistinct “m” sound, as in “Cambra”

Of recent times, the Snoop Dogg inspired “Canbizzle” has worked wonders fo’ shizzle.

darkmilk said :

Most people I’ve heard are somewhere between Can-berror and Can-bra, and often people seem to vary depending on the context/laziness/drunkenness at the time.

Given most of us are pretty lazy, I’d say that’s about spot on. But the second syllable in the three syllable form should be very short and subtle, almost non-existent.

“can-b-rahh” not “can-bear-ahh”.

Remove the stupid inflexion and I reckon Peter Harvey has it just about right.

Granny said :

Well, it was probably named by men. So I guess it could be either named after meetings or the female anatomy. You tell me.

I thought it was Tassie that was named this way?? 🙂

I thought that Monaro was the word that meant woman’s breast.

It always made me giggle at Holden Monaros.

I think it should be renamed “Squizlington”, seeing as how it’s such a great place to squiz.

Yep, Can-bra (Rhymes with “bra”) for sure!

It’s pronounced “cAm” + “bra” (with an exaggerated nasal twang – connoting the sound of thousands of blow flies buzzing around one’s head). This is said very quickly (so that the speaker can keep his/her eyes on the road while driving the WRX without thinking about the sounds coming from his/her mouth excessively.)

Contrary to all the lies you’ve been told by the other posters to this thread, it has nothing to do with local Aboriginal dialects, or English settlers. The name actually originates from a corruption of New Zealand slang “C’arn, Bro?”, meaning, “Excuse me, but would you like me to put my giant Maori fist through your white Pakeha face? If so, we should step outside for a spot of Queensbury Rules, eh wot?”

Having been a major sheep station, there were an awful lot of New Zealanders attracted to the area seeking work and…. shall we say… companionship.

Skidd Marx said :

No worries. Now do us a favour and piss off ya pommie bastard.

Certainly. Any particular direction?

Skidbladnir said :

Unless you want us to use phonetic text on you, you’re in a bind, short of rocking up to an RA event and asking…

If we’re writing down our pronunciation of things, not only will you lose all the minor inflections and nuance we take for granted, but we will also assume you read pronunciations exactly as we write them.

Oh I think the “rhymes with” idea is sufficient for my needs here.

Unless you want us to use phonetic text on you, you’re in a bind, short of rocking up to an RA event and asking…

If we’re writing down our pronunciation of things, not only will you lose all the minor inflections and nuance we take for granted, but we will also assume you read pronunciations exactly as we write them.

No worries. Now do us a favour and piss off ya pommie bastard.

Very interesting, and thank you for your comments.

The idea of living in “titty city” does have its merits I must admit.

Most people I’ve heard are somewhere between Can-berror and Can-bra, and often people seem to vary depending on the context/laziness/drunkenness at the time.

There is a funny conspiracy-theory style alternate story to the name “Canberra” too: apparently an early English settled station in the area was called Canterbury after the place back home. Said with an Aboriginal accent this sounds like “Canberry” which was then (re-)Anglicised to Canberra.

I tried to search Google for something resembling credible for this, and came up with a great laugh: sites mentioning bogan moths!

While I can be cunning, I’m no linguist. I tend to pronounce it somewhere between can-bruh (but not brugh) and can-brah. I was born here and have lived most of my life here, but spent a not-insignificant amount of time spelling out the syllables (CAHN-BERR-AHH) to Americans who thought I rode a kangaroo to school.

Can Bruh with consensus from workmates.

I always thought Utopia should have got up, haha.

Well, it was probably named by men. So I guess it could be either named after meetings or the female anatomy. You tell me.

From NCA – site of all knowledge:

In 1913, when the Canberra area was no more than an outback sheep station divided by the Molonglo River, a ceremony was held to name the city. ‘Canberra’, as a new name for the capital, was a sentimental favourite and logical choice. The name probably derived from a local Aboriginal word for ‘meeting place’ and had been in common use in the district for more than three-quarters of a century. The people of Australia, nevertheless, responded with imagination and good humour to a Government invitation to find a suitable name for their future capital. ‘Cookaburra’, ‘Wheatwoolgold’ and ‘Kangaremu’ headed a list of Australiana which also included ‘Sydmelperadbrisho’ and ‘Meladneyperbane’. Politics prompted other names such as ‘Swindleville’, ‘Gonebroke’ and ‘Caucus City’.

It was something of a relief when at noon on 12 March Lady Denman, the wife of the
Governor-General, mounted a crimson-draped platform and declared in a clear English voice:

‘I name the capital of Australia, Canberra – the accent is on the Can’.

Skidd Marx said :

BTW, does anyone have any firm arguments as to what is the official aboriginal translation of the word “Canberra”? The most common one is “meeting place” but I have also read that it can be translated as “woman’s breasts” after the profile created between Mt.Majura and Mt Ainslie. Being a titties man, this definition obviously appeals to me a great deal more than the meeting place one. I have also read that “Canberra” translates to some type of native bird.

I have heard the breast theory, but thought it Black Mountain and Mt Ainslie.

Either way, I hope you live between two of these delightful mounts, which, of course, would be the meeting place between the two breasts. Perfect.

Can-berror sux0rs.

Can-bruh rulez!

I am extremely well spoken and a stickler for pronunciation. I am also very highly respected by my peers and work colleagues. Furthermore I am exceedingly wealthy, yet give little to charity, but that is beside the point.

The point IS, I say Kan-bruh. TWO syllables, not three. I hope this ends the debate once and for all.

BTW, does anyone have any firm arguments as to what is the official aboriginal translation of the word “Canberra”? The most common one is “meeting place” but I have also read that it can be translated as “woman’s breasts” after the profile created between Mt.Majura and Mt Ainslie. Being a titties man, this definition obviously appeals to me a great deal more than the meeting place one. I have also read that “Canberra” translates to some type of native bird.

I would say (as a born & bred Canberran) that it’s “Can-berra (Rhymes with “error”)”. I think it’s the Aussie tendancy to shorten it somewhat in conversation though, particularly after a few beers.

While we’re at it….I’m a “Canberran”, not a “Canberrian” as I’ve heard people from Canberra referred to from time to time….makes me shudder.

The only way the say it is “Can-Bra”, Bro

Actually, yes, bra like ‘bruh’ not bra like ‘baa’.

Bra and borough for me.

: )

Can Bruh.

and MelBun (not Mel born).

Shortened sounds – bit like pronouncing Worchestershire sauce really.

All of the above, depending on the situation and Alcohol consumed.

Can-berra (rhymes with error) for me.