So to Australians, "partner" refers to your significant other. Whether you're married, engaged, dating, etc. Now, for those of you in the States, the term "partner" has come to refer to your significant other of the same sex. Now I'm not talking about being bro-mantically involved, but rather referring to gay and lesbian couples. This makes sense; it's a gender neutral word that isn't loaded with social connotations and accurately reflects a same-sex couple's commitment to each other.
This came as a great shock to me when I was first asked, "did you come to Australia with your partner?" At first, I did a double take thinking the person was assuming I'm gay (I don't love show tunes and fashion that much, do I?), only later realizing all couples are referred to as "partner".
I guess it's less syllables to pronounce as compared to "significant other", and less awkward than asking "wife? fiancee? girl/boy-friend?" but it's still awkward to me.
There's no point to this post. If you've gotten this far, you're either really bored today, or genuinely care about what I have to say. Which you shouldn't. Please, find a hobby.
No comments:
Post a Comment