Dr Steph Kaefer spent three weeks documenting unique colloquialisms on the frozen continent after newcomers were struck by the distinctive vocabulary
f you know what it means to be a “fidlet” going for a “jolly” in your “doo”, then you are part of an exclusive club that speaks colloquial Antarctic English.linguists doctorate graduate from the University of Canterbury has completed a world-first study into colloquial Antarctic English, spoken at the US, British and New Zealand Antarctic research stations.
Before embarking on her trip, Kaefer expected to find a pan-Antarctic vocabulary, but quickly discovered there were distinct colloquialisms within each station.Americans, for example, call newcomers to Antarctica “fingies”, which comes from FNGs – a borrowed military acronym that means “Fucking New Guy”. The British use the term “fidlets”, a diminutive of “Fid”, which in turn is an acronym for Falkland Island Dependency, the former name of the British station.
Colloquial words and expressions in Antarctica often borrow from military, navy and mountaineering terms but not exclusively. Sometimes terms are newly created on site, but mostly, they are English words repurposed for the environment or lifestyle.
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