History and Development of Australian English
– Australian English originated from the intermingling of early settlers from various dialectal regions of Great Britain and Ireland.
– The dialects of Southeast England, particularly Cockney, had a significant influence on the development of Australian English.
– The native-born colonists’ speech became distinct from British and Irish English by the 1820s.
– The Australian gold rushes in the 1850s brought linguistic influences from around the world, including American English.
– The publication of ‘Austral English: A Dictionary Of Australasian Words, Phrases And Usages’ in 1898 contributed to the codification of Australian English.
Phonology and Pronunciation of Australian English
– Australian English has a unique pronunciation that shares similarities with New Zealand English.
– The distinctive feature of Australian English is its vowels, both monophthongs and diphthongs.
– The long vowels in Australian English correspond to the tense vowels in Received Pronunciation.
– Short vowels in Australian English correspond to the lax vowels in Received Pronunciation.
– Australian English has a phonemic length distinction, exemplified by words like ‘ferry’ and ‘fairy.’
– Australian English vowels can be categorized based on length: long vowels (monophthongs and diphthongs) and short vowels (monophthongs).
– The long vowels in Australian English are similar to the tense vowels in Received Pronunciation.
– There are overlapping vowel qualities between long and short vowels, creating a phonemic length distinction.
– The vowel /ʉː/ is diphthongized in all major Australian accents.
– The pronunciation of /ɪə/ varies, ranging from [ɪːa] to [ɪː].
– Australian English is non-rhotic, meaning the /ɹ/ sound does not appear at the end of a syllable or before a consonant.
– Linking /ɹ/ can occur when a word with a final ‘r’ comes before a word starting with a vowel.
– Intrusive /ɹ/ may be inserted before a vowel after the long vowel /oː/ and after word-final /ə/.
– Consonant clusters like /sj/ and /zj/ have merged into /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ for many speakers.
– The phoneme /l/ is pronounced as a dark (velarized) /ɫ/ by older Australians.
Regional and Sociocultural Varieties of Australian English
– Australian English is relatively consistent across the continent but includes regional and sociocultural variations.
– General Australian is considered the de facto standard dialect, often used in the media.
– Regional dialects may have pronounced markers specific to certain areas.
– Sociocultural varieties may reflect the influence of different social groups or communities.
– Australian English is the national language of Australia, spoken by 72% of Australians in their homes.
Vocabulary of Australian English
– Australian English has many unique words and idioms.
– Bush poets like Banjo Paterson captured the Australian vocabulary of the 19th century.
– There are intrinsic traits in Australian English vocabulary that distinguish it from other dialects.
– The vocabulary of Australian English reflects the cultural and historical influences on the language.
– Australian English has borrowed words from Indigenous languages and other immigrant languages.
Notable Features and Vocabulary Changes in Australian English
– Australian English is known for its high rising terminal, also called ‘Australian questioning intonation.’
– The high rising terminal is more common among young people and women.
– The spread of the high rising terminal in the United Kingdom is attributed to the popularity of Australian soap operas.
– Australian English has distinctive grammatical patterns, such as the use of the interrogative ‘aye.’
– Academic research has identified notable sociocultural variation within Australian English, particularly in phonology.
– The switch to the metric system in the 1970s changed Australia’s vocabulary of measurement.
– Australian English shares some vocabulary with American English, such as cilantro, prawn, and ground meat.
– Australian English shares some vocabulary with British English, such as bonnet, car park, and petrol.
– Australian English spelling is closer to British English, but American spellings are often listed as acceptable variants.
– Words with ‘ae’ and ‘oe’ are often maintained in Australian English, while American English tends to use ‘e’ alone.
– Minor systematic differences exist between Australian and British spelling, such as ‘liveable’ vs. ‘livable’ and ‘ageing’ vs. ‘aging.’
– Unspaced forms like ‘onto’ and ‘anymore’ are considered equally acceptable in Australian English.
– There is variation in the treatment of -t and -ed endings for past tense verbs in Australian English. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_English
Australian English (AusE, AusEng, AuE, AuEng, en-AU) is the set of varieties of the English language native to Australia. It is the country's common language and de facto national language; while Australia has no official language, English is the first language of the majority of the population, and has been entrenched as the de facto national language since British settlement, being the only language spoken in the home for 72% of Australians. It is also the main language used in compulsory education, as well as federal, state and territorial legislatures and courts.
| Australian English | |
|---|---|
| Region | Australia |
Native speakers | 18.5 million in Australia (2021) 5 million L2 speakers of English in Australia (approx. 2021) |
Early forms | |
| Latin (English alphabet) Unified English Braille | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | aust1314 |
| IETF | en-AU |
Australian English began to diverge from British and Irish English after the First Fleet established the Colony of New South Wales in 1788. Australian English arose from a dialectal melting pot created by the intermingling of early settlers who were from a variety of dialectal regions of Great Britain and Ireland, though its most significant influences were the dialects of Southeast England. By the 1820s, the native-born colonists' speech was recognisably distinct from speakers in Britain and Ireland.
Australian English differs from other varieties in its phonology, pronunciation, lexicon, idiom, grammar and spelling. Australian English is relatively consistent across the continent, although it encompasses numerous regional and sociocultural varieties. "General Australian" describes the de facto standard dialect, which is perceived to be free of pronounced regional or sociocultural markers and is often used in the media.
