I remember learning what the word "traditio"n meant in Social Studies class in 4th grade. Tradition is the passing of customs and beliefs of a group of people from generation to generation. For example, the religious traditions that are observed or the types of food that are eaten. And while customs and beliefs across the world can be very different from one another, all cultures use language to pass these traditions from one generation to the next. In Australia, although English is the main language, it has evolved to take on a uniquely Australian style that in many ways reflects the customs and traditions of the country.
Soon after arriving in Sydney, I learned that Australians have a tradition of shortening many of the words used in spoken language. A good rule of thumb is that any word with at least three syllables gets shortened into a form that's used in ordinary conversation. For instance: "Australia" becomes "Straya," "McDonald’s" becomes "Macca's," "this afternoon" becomes "s’arvo," "barbeque" becomes "barbie," "post man" becomes "postie," and "avocado" becomes "avo." There are countless other examples!
