Oijs-(ice), snowmaking cannon on Mt. Hotham

lied-(song), 'Waltzing Mathilda', by 'Banjo' Paterson, is the unofficial National Anthem of Australia.  The lyrics are below.

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leer-(leather), 'Ugg' Boots.  (The name most likely came from "ugly", but the boots are now a fashion success, even in Paris.)

hok-(pen for animals), a Kelpie sheep dog with sheep in a paddock.

hemd-(shirt), Convicts were required to wear white shirts and pants.

been-(leg or bone), One of the unique things about  a kangaroo's legs is that the kangaroo can only go forward!

 How to use the Pictionary to learn 9,000 Genders!

feit-(fact), On Jan. 26th, 1788 Australia became a reality. Captain Arthur Phillip had just discovered Sydney Harbour and knew it would make an ideal base for the new colony.

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hek-(fence), the great Australian fence is over a thousand miles long and keeps the wild dingos (dogs) that live in cattle country out of sheep country.

Alice Springs

zódraad-(wire), Telegraph station in Alice Springs with post for telegraph wires. The telegraph helped unite Australia.

brood-(bread), Fairy Bread-white bread covered with candy sprinkles.

Ofruit-(fruit), Kiwi fruit (Native to New Zealand but thrives in Australia.) Oooft-(also fruit) is an  old-fashinioned synonym.

duin-(dune), The 'Big Red' sand dune at the edge of the Simpson desert.

    leed-(suffering),  "Man in the Mud" WWI diorama by Peter Corlett at the Australia War Museum.

mos-(moss)  Pappilaria Cloud Forest at the top of a mountain.

          There is an additional group of neuter suffixes with long/strong vowels that shift the emphasis to the final syllable, and which usually include a slight rise in pitch.  These endings include: -aal, -aat, -aas, -aaf, -aam, -aan, -aarn, -air, -ain, -ail, -aus, -eel, -eem, -eet, -ein, -eau, -iet, -ier, -ies, -ief, -iem, -iel, -oom, -oor, -ood, -ool, -ooi, -oen, -oir,  -uit, -uul,-uus, -uut, and the accented endings -el, and -er in French loan words like 'diner' (pronounced die-né).

Ohof-(court), The High Court of Australia, as well as the Central Government of Australia is in Canberra.

​           In the middle of the last century Standard Dutch speakers from North, Central, and West Holland morphed almost all female and male nouns into the common gender, whereas Dutch speakers from Flanders and Southeast Holland kept them separate.  The suffixes not only indicate if a noun belongs to the common gender, but also if a noun is male or female! But remember: Classes trump suffixes!​

kreng-(carrion), Some specialties of the Roadkill Cafe in Darwin 'Bring it in mate, we'll cook it!'

dok-(dock), Darling Harbor is still a cultural "docking station" of Australia to the world.

zódeeg-(dough)- the secret of the Australian-favorite ANZAC biscuits is in the dough, which contains no eggs! A hundred years ago, families of ANZAC (Australian and New Zeeland Army Corps) soldiers baked the cookies and sent them to soldiers fighting in WWI

geld-(money), In Australia the bills are made of plastic! (But don't try to "launder" money in Australia.  Australia ranks among the most  law-abiding countries in the world based on the 'World Corruptibility Index').

ambt-(post/office), In early Australia most public servants were convict guards.

zóding-(dingo or wild dog)

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eelt-(callous), Calloused feet of an Emu (whose scientific name is 'New Holland' bird).

zóbier-(beer)

nest-(nest), Termite Nest.

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kruid-(herb), Mullaways Medical Marijuana logo.  Minor marijuana possesion was legalized in exclusively the Capital Territory of Canberra in 2019.

maal-(meal), Afternoon tea is a meal in Australia.

Olot-(fate). In Australia, casinos are in the hearts of major cities, such as the Crown Casino in Melbourne!

zóblijk-(token), Parking meters with coins or tokens and the accompanying "Meter Maids" are icons of the Gold Coast.

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Okamp-(camp), Aboriginal Corroboree festivity. The Aboriginal name and event may well have inspired Sir Baden Powell's creation of the Boy Schout Jamboree.

zóbord-(board)

dier-(animal) Koala

kind-(child), 'Feral Kid' from the Mad Max movies. Note: 'Kid' is a freebie becasue it is part of the ' children before puberty' class. Courtesy the NFSA-National Film and Sound Archives.

krat-(crate), the cheapest way to get to Australia. Folk hero Reg Spiers sent himself from London to Perth via Air Freight in a crate! for free!!

O-houd-(something held or contained, a noun-suffix) 

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gros-(large quantity), a wool transport

(but only in the case of gerunds).   The neuter suffixes can be called the 'diminutive' plus  'triple-o,u,t' or ('down and out') suffixes.

Olint-(knotted ribbon) and loof-(foliage), the bottom part of the Coat of Arms

dak-(roof), "Outback" style tin roof at Tipperary Station.  (Tin is Oblik, which is a "freebie" O-word because it is a metal.)

juk-(yoke), Team of oxen used to transport wool.

jaar-(year), in which the seasons are the inverse of those in the Northern Hemisphere.

hout-(wood), The best cricket batsman of all time is considered to be Don Bradman. 

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bod-(offer)- The 'Batman Treaty' rental agreement for the land in and around Melbourne.  It was the only treaty ever between colonists and aboriginals!

kruit-(gunpowder).  Ancient eucalyptus trees were often so hard the only way to split them, or to remove their roots, was with gunpowder.

nut-(usefulness),  Vegimite, made from the "worthless" dredges of brewed beer, is full of vitamine B and is surprisingly healthy.

Ogrind/Ogrint-(gravel) & moes-(pulp or mush),  The Platypus doesn't have teeth.  It "chews" by scooping up gravel together with food, and then flaps its jaws until the food is ground to pulp.

Ohuis-(house), The Sydney Opera House

Ohol-(cave or hole that can be lived in), one of the houses in Coober Peedy (opal mine) that is underground to avoid heat.

         The genders of almost all other multi-syllable nouns, whose final syllables aren't nouns, are determined by their suffixes. Amazingly, a student can quickly learn the genders of many of these nouns "better" than many native Dutch speakers! 

boek-(book), Aboriginal paintings at Carnarvon. The modern interpretation of the images is that they may have been chronicle(s) of a hunting expedition(s).

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-dom-(province),  '-dom' is a noun-suffix that means "province" or "things pertaining to".  "Hutt River Province" in Western Australia declared independence from Australia in 1970.

          The neuter classes include children before puberty, countries, cities, languages, cardinal directions, elements and metals , sports and games, gerunds (nouns made from '-ing' verbs), and nouns made from adjectives, such as colors.

hert-(stag),  Although there are lots of deer in Australia, none of them are native.  Most are raised on deer farms, so fences are designed to keep them in, instead of out!

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bot-(bone),  In Aboriginal culture, an avenging assassin would "point the bone" at his victim, who would then wither away and die.

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.au

korps-(corps), Australian Troops in WWI. The 'Gallipoli' campaign was the most renowned fight in modern Australian history. 

-gram-(something written-used as a noun-suffix), an Aboriginal 'message stick'.

​          Third,and last, the 'German A-Z' web page lists the rare exceptions to the suffix and prefix rules.  Please note that the "Au̇-Pictionary" currently omits some nouns, and it does contain errors which will be corrected.  Feedback is always welcome.  Please write to: zeelands@sbcglobal.net

Ogat-(hole), the pit in the Kalgoorlie mine.

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Olak-(laquer), Surfboard wax

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zóei-(egg), Emu egg

gaas-(gauze), dons-(down), & bloed-(blood), Kurdaitcha Bone Pointer's (assissan's) shoes were constructed with gauze made from human hair, emu down, and blood to hold things together. They "left no trace".

erts-(ore)  Western Australia is a world leader in mining.  The Gold Rushes in the late 1800s were similar to the '49er Gold Rush of California. (Ogoud-(gold) is another "give-away" because it is a metal.)

Okleed-(kilt-like clothing)

óodoek-(cloth), waist-sash of the Outlaw Ned Kelley, which he was given for saving a drowning boy. He wore it under his armour.

Omerk-(mark), Internet symbol for Australia

zófort-(fort), Historic Fort Denison at the entrance to Sydney Harbor

           Single-syllable nouns that are made from verbs, such as the word ‘trek' (trek), and rivers (usually female), are virtually all common-gender nouns.

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jak-(jacket), Outlaw Ned Kelly wore a trenchcoat over his armour.

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bos-(forest),  Mountain bking has revolutionized how outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy Australia's eucalyptus forests.

goed-(product)  'Uggs' is one of the oddest products, and trademarks, in the world.  'Uggs' was derived from the word 'ugly'! It cannot be used in Australia as an exclusive trademark because it is a generic word for boots there!

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krijt-(chalk)

deel- (portion or piece), The centerpiece of Australia's Coat of Arms shows the country's six main regions.  (The Northern Territory got left out- oops.) 

Oland-(land), A German map of "New Holland"

         Second, almost all suffixes and prefixes of multisyllable nouns have a high correlation to one of the Dutch genders.  Although there are some exceptions, a student who applies the rules will get an average of more than 90% of the genders correct!.

"Like nothing else on earth!"

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         Fruits, nuts, flowers, and heavenly bodies like the sun are almost all female and therefore belong to the common gender.

bont-(fur) Kangaroo fur

zófonds-(funds/stock), Australia Stock Exchange

lid-(member), Big Ned (Kelly) is the most famous Gang Member in Australia- statue in Glenrowan.

lijf-(body), yoga practice on Bondi(ey) Beach.

al-(universe) and kruis- ('Southern'- cross)

Ohaar-(hair)

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         Generic humans are treated as male things and as such belong to the common gender.  Nouns referring to generic animals, trees, plants, and complex-mechanical-things (like autos) are also almost all male, except for a handful of female exceptions and a couple neuter items, which are included included in the 200-words list.

zóbuis-(tube or jacket), Armour designed for outlaw Ned Kelly- the most famous criminal in Australia's history!

gips-(plaster or gypsum), This 'gips' (lime-stone) kiln is in Gippsland below Sydney.  (Note:  Like Ogoud-(gold),Ogips is optional because gypsum (CASO4) belongs to the 'Elements' class.)

mes-(knife), Crocodile Dundee's "That's not a knife, THAT'S a knife."

gras-(grass) & vuur-(fire), the two are always linked in Australia.  Rural firefighters in Australia spend more time tending preventive fires than putting wildfires out! 

Okoor-(chorus) and Osnoer-(string), Aboriginal Bull Roarers make noise when they are swung in a circle- an

Osnoer-koor.

Omeer-(lake), Lake Hume- a relatively lush spot in the interior of Australia

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zóbad-(bath) and dek- (deck).  The handrail is just above Perth. 

eind-(end) The remote Zuytdorp (South Village) cliffs are the site of the 1712 wreck of the Dutch 'Zuytdorp' ship filled with silver. (Note:Oeind is a 'give-away' neuter word because it is an adjective.)

luik-(hatch/shutter), A hatch similar to one on a convict ship.  Convicts spent most of their time in cages or in chains below deck.  The first convict trip to Australia in 1787 took 251 days!

aas-(bait)- Live Bait Vending Machines!

 ​​          Once you've learned the 200 mono-syllable neuter nouns on the two Dutch web pages, determining the genders of almost all other nouns, approximately 10,000 of them, as easy as 1,2,3.  You can learn them on your own, but having a teacher explain how the rules work is recommended.​

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zóblad-(leaf) Eucalyptus leaves, held against the lips, were one of the three musical instruments of Aboriginal Australia-'o-blad-ie, o-blad-ai'

         "Tell-tail" suffixes for female nouns include: -heid, -teit, -a, -ee,-eld, -ei, -ie, -i, -in, -ing, -is, -nis, -ice, -ij, -ijk, -iek, -eik, -eek, -x, -eur, -uur, -ue, -uw, -y, and-e, including the '-*e' endings: -ge, -de, -re, and-te  (except in three or more syllable words that begin with 'ge-' and whose sandwiched-syllables are stand-alone nouns, in which case the words are neuter).  The feminine suffixes can be called "A,E,I", or "A,E,I-k", suffixes .

front-(front), Heroic ANZAC (Australian and New Zeland Army Corps) soldiers helped defend the 'Western Front' in Flanders in WWI

Ohooi-(hay), Australia is the #2 hay-producing country in the world after the United States.

          The neuter noun suffixes include: -je, -tje, -isme, -asme, -as, -as, -af, -es, -sel, -men, -ment, -ant, -ent, -et, -est, -ect, -ekt, -inct, -it, -ijt, -uit, -ijn, -eau, -o, ​(except in two syllable words), -ol, -ion, -om, -ord, -os, -u, -ui, -um, -ium, and -en

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zóbeest-(animal), Tasmanian tiger. The ring-striped marsupial supposedly went extinct in 1936, but there have been several possible sightings since 2017!

Oheft or Ohecht-(handle or grip). on an aboriginal knife, or zwaard (sword) -because this is a lengthy blade by Aboriginal standards.

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zóbeeld-(picture), Possibly 20,000 year old artwork. "Tassled Dancers" painting at Bradshaw Rock. (The tassles are round.)

gas-(gas), Mustard gas mask in WWI.  The Australian efforts in WWI in Gallipoli and Flanders gave birth to a distinctive 'Australian' identity.

kroost-(offspring, litter), Wolf Spider with children on her back.

​          First, the genders of nouns that belong to several classes of things have predetermined genders, regardless of how many syllables the nouns have.   Any monosyllable noun that isn't one of the 200 neuter nouns, and doesn't belong to one of the neuter classes, is destined to end up as a common gender noun.

bed-(bed), kamp-(camp), and gas-(gas)- Road Sign

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zódoel-(goal), Focal point of Darling Harbor in Sydney  Prior to air travel Darling Harbor was the main arrival point in Australia.

Ograan-(grain), plus kaf-(chaff), Australia is one of the world's biggest grain exporters.

graf-(grave) The Australian War Memorial. It contains the grave of the "Unknown Soldier" and honors ANZAC and other troops who sacrificed their lives.

Ogram-(unit of weight) The cap on the nut of a blue-gum, and other types of Eucalyptus tree, weighs approx. 1 Gram.

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Oglas-(glass) For Fosters beer.

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kant-(lace), 'Lace Lizard'- The scales often resemble handmade lace, (which was very important in the history of Flanders.)

Onet-(net), When camping in Queensland, mozzi nets are a vital accessory.

loon-(wages), after several years of forced labor convicts were given their freedom in return.

meel-(flour or meal), Seeds ground with Aboriginal grinding stones

Oheil-(holyness or exaltedness), St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney

dal-(dale or valley), Barossa Wine Valley. Barossa Valley has become the "quintessential" wine region of Australia due to its distinctive wines.

Ohoofd-(head). The reigning Monarch in England is technically also the King or Queen of Australia, and is featured on coins, plus until recently,  on currencies like this bill.  (Fun fact- until 1954, no English monarch had ever visited Australia!)

feest-(party or festival), 'Australia Day' on Jan. 26th marks the arrival of the 'First Fleet' of convicts- a 252 day journey!

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blok-(block), Cell Block of Fremantle prison for convicts from England.  One of the common offenses was stealing clothes! (to keep from freezing)

Australia was called 'New Holland' for 200 years!  ('New Olanda' in Italian.)

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zódorp-(town), Alice Springs is the town at the heart of Australia.

zóblind-(blind), Sydney Airport.

klif-(cliff), Kings Canyon National Park

         For starters, nouns that begin with the prefixes  ver-, ont-, ge-,  be-, (and au̇-), and which are followed by just one syllable, are always neuter.

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brein-(brain), Captain James Cook was the first European to explore the East Coast of Australia. (by Nathaniel Dance)

lijk-(corpse), WWI dead in France.  Nearly 1 in 8 Australian men were killed or wounded in WWI!

gif-(poison), Austraila is home to the #1, and #2, most venemous snakes in the world.  At snake farms, snakes are bred, and milked, to create anti-venom medicine.

Olek-(leak), Hydroelectic station below one of the Snowy Mountain dams.

bloed-(blood), An Australian "Mozzi"

krot, (shack). Temporary, low-cost, dwellings in Australia are called "Humpies", and were frequently used by prospectors, bush rangers, and aboriginals.

merg-(marrow), Witchetty grubs eat out the interior of the roots of trees and have an almond-like taste.

hart-(heart), Part of the Great Barrier Reef

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niews-(news), The surprise Japanese attack on Darwin was similar to Pearl Harbour.

Olicht-(light), the center of the circle is where the "South Star" would be, if there was one. (The picture is actually from the Afrikaans language monument in South Africa.)

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        The "Gender-Enders" for  male nouns  include just: the diminutive '-el' (except in neuter words which end in '-sel' and in foreign loan words where the final syllable is accented, such as 'hotèl'), -er, including variants -aar  and -or, -on(but not -ion),-em, and -us (which is in just a handful of loan words from Latin).   (Note: Any noun with a male suffix that also begins with ver-, ge-, be-, or ont- is neuter.)