Fidlets, fingies and doo-riding: study reveals cool secrets of Antarctic English slang

If 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.

- Eva Corlett

A New Zealand linguistics 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.

While there have been previous literary studies into Antarctica English vocabulary, Dr Steph Kaefer's study marks the first time a researcher has visited Antarctica to document the unique colloquialisms used in daily life.

Over three weeks in 2019, Kaefer spent time at three English-speaking Antarctic stations observing and gathering data from workers based on what the US station refers to as "the Ice", or the British call the "South".

Initially prompted by a love of the continent, Kaefer was further inspired to investigate Antarctica's vocabulary after reading an academic's article discussing how newcomers to the continent were struck by the distinctive vocabulary.

"Some of it was mundane, talking about the weather conditions, organisation of the community and day-to-day operations, but he did say some of the lexicon was richly figurative," Kaefer said.

Before embarking on her trip, Kaefer expected to find a panAntarctic vocabulary, but quickly discovered there were distinct colloquialisms within each station.