Why Do Australians Say “Ta”?
“Yessie” over at Lost in Australia asks a question that I had immediately wondered about as well when I first arrived in Australia, which is, Why do Australians say “Ta”? For those that don’t know, more often then not an Australian instead of saying “Thank you” or even “Thanks” will simply say “Ta”.
I asked one of my Australian co-workers why this is? He didn’t know for sure, but he told he thinks it started as a way for Australians to say an abbreviated form of “Thanks Alot”. Who knows, but it sounds plausible considering how Australians quite often have the tendency to shorten words.
Share this:
About The Author
Dobbs
I am a avid hiker with a love for travel and the outdoors. I currently call the Evergreen State of Washington my home.
As an australian i also don't know where it came from but i agree it may be a shortened version of thanks a lot or thanks awfully.
it’s what we teach kids when we’re teaching them to say “thank you”. it’s easier for kids to say. you’ll often hear parents encouraging their kids, to “say ta!”
It is usually said with ‘mate’…. “ta mate!” and used by men when they are together, say working or fishing, and formalities have been dropped. Women usually say “ta dear” or “thanks luv” or “luvvy” in a similar way and in similar situations. But they are usually older women and using It to also convey a sense of authority towards men, but between the same sex it is intended to convey a sense of equality.
Ta and ta love / luvvie / darl has been said in Yorkshire, England for eons.
Haven’t studied it but there’s no doubt this is the root.
Would be a nice surprise to be proven wrong on this.