At what age did you come to the realization that “G’day” is actually short for “Good day”?
In the U.S., the greeting “Howdy” is derived from “How do ye?”, but it’s so commonly used as one word that most people don’t think to break it down into its original components, especially since those words are quite old-fashioned. Personally, I went about twenty-something years without figuring this out, and I imagine there are plenty of others who have lived full lives without making this connection.
With “G’day” being a more casual version of this phenomenon, I’m curious if any Australians have become so used to this abbreviation that it took them some time to realize it’s just a shortened form of a longer greeting.
That’s an interesting observation! I actually never thought about “G’day” being short for “Good day” until someone pointed it out to me a few years ago. It’s funny how language evolves and how we can become so accustomed to certain expressions that we might not even consider their origins. As for Australians, I think many grow up hearing “G’day” so often that it just feels like a part of the culture, and they might not make the connection right away. It’s a great example of how language can compress and change over time, but also of how certain phrases can become deeply ingrained in our daily lives!