word of the day: "bi-English"

Thanks to the international popularity of British sitcoms, I suspect a great many Americans are "bi-English." Does knowing a smattering of Australian English as well make one "tri-English"? Or do you count them as British because they have the Queen on their money?;-)

Tri-English: absolutely. But you'd need more than a smattering to be considered fluent.

I agree with the sitcom thing, but it's actually quite a different thing to hear the language in the real world... and it's also fun to watch the reactions of some Brits when they hear British English with an American accent!

Australian English is very, very different from British English, so you don't get that for free. I'd argue the real fluency requires (a) proper command of the accent, and (b) enough usage in actual social situations to know *when* to use regional vocabulary and constructions, and not just what they mean. (Example: under what circumstances does an Australian say "You're not wrong" instead of "You're right"). (I'm just back from a trip to Australia, happy to confirm I'm still fluently Australian/American Bi-English).