G'day everyone! This blog will be a guide for speakers of other English varieties on Australian English - specifically about its unique features, its history and its cultural values. So without further ado, let's learn about AUSTRALIAN ENGLISH!!!
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Subsystems
To get started, we will be discussing the unique features of Australian English. To do this, we will be going through the subsystems in detail.
Phonology
Common features of how Australian English sounds include the weakening of stopped consonants, elision and assimilation.
In Australia, accents vary according to an individual's ideology and gender. Overall, most Australians aim for the general accent.
Broad
- This accent is often associated with Australians such as Steve Irwin and Paul Hogan
- Greater nasality
- Greater accentuation of vowel sounds
- Associated with masculinity and sociability
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General
- An examples of someone who speaks with a general accent is John Howard
- Most common accent in Australia
- Associated with sociability and intelligence
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Cultivated
- Cate Blanchett is an example of someone who speaks with a cultivated accent
- Often associated with British Received Pronunciation (RP)
- Has an element of overt prestige
- Draws upon vowels and phonemes
- Associated with intelligence and competency
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Morphology
A prime feature of Australian English is its use of diminutives. Diminutives are lexemes whereby phonemes have been omitted and a suffix has been added. For example, ambulance -> ambo, tradesmen -> tradies, chadstone -> chaddy.
Diminutives are an informal feature of the English language and this reflects the cultural values of Australian English - which we will go into further detail later on.
Lexicology
Lexicology
Australian English has many features that make it unique when compared to other forms of English. As a first-time visitor to Australia, it is essential you are made aware of some unique Australian lexemes.
Indigenous language
Little of the indigenous language has been incorporated into Australian English. These lexemes include those that are mainly associated with flora, fauna, cultural terms and place names. For example
- Boomerang
- Kookaburra
- Geelong
- Billabong
Swearing
As a visitor to Australia, you should not be alarmed by the amount of swearing that occurs everyday. Although in some cases swearing will used in extreme and vulgar cases, it is generally used as a part of normal everyday conversations. It reflects Australia's cultural value of being friendly.
Unique lexical items
There are numerous Australian lexemes that you should be made aware of. These include
- Aussie - Australia
- Barbie - Barbeque
- Bludger - Lazy person
- Woop woop - The middle of nowhere
- Snag - Sausages
Syntax
A syntactic feature that is prominent in Australian English is the use of ellipsis. Once again, this reflects Australian's cultural values as ellipsis is generally seen to be informal.
Australian Culture
Australian English reflects the cultural values of Australia. These values include egalitarianism and mateship.
Egalitarianism and Mateship
This is the belief in the idea of equality for all people. Considering that Australia employs the informal register readily in everyday discourse, it shows how all Australians strive to be equal. A well-known example of this is when cricketer Dennis Lillee met the Queen. To greet her, he gave her a handshake and "g'day how ya goin'?"
This is the belief in the idea of equality for all people. Considering that Australia employs the informal register readily in everyday discourse, it shows how all Australians strive to be equal. A well-known example of this is when cricketer Dennis Lillee met the Queen. To greet her, he gave her a handshake and "g'day how ya goin'?"
This notion of egalitarianism can sometimes be perceived as rude and this is mainly the reason why many Australians are comfortable with swearing. Lexical choices that are made in Australian English also demonstrates the idea of mateship. For example, the lexeme 'mate'.
Informality and Formality
Speakers of Australian English are generally more informal than formal. Considering one of Australia's cultural values is egalitarianism, the notion that formal language must be employed when speaking to someone of a higher status is usually disregarded (compared to British English).
Australia's History
A brief summary of Australia's history's impact on Australian English can be seen in the timeline below:
Future of Australian English
With a rise in technology and multiculturalism, Australian English will be faced with change.
American tv shows, movies and the internet are all big contributors to change in Australian English; Americanisms will be included in the Australian lexicon. This is because teenagers are influenced by these medias. Some Americanisms include: bro, homies, chill out, whatever.
Furthermore, Australia is becoming a very multicultural country. This will lead to an increased number of ethnolects in Australian English.
Informality and Formality
Speakers of Australian English are generally more informal than formal. Considering one of Australia's cultural values is egalitarianism, the notion that formal language must be employed when speaking to someone of a higher status is usually disregarded (compared to British English).
Australia's History
A brief summary of Australia's history's impact on Australian English can be seen in the timeline below:
Future of Australian English
With a rise in technology and multiculturalism, Australian English will be faced with change.
American tv shows, movies and the internet are all big contributors to change in Australian English; Americanisms will be included in the Australian lexicon. This is because teenagers are influenced by these medias. Some Americanisms include: bro, homies, chill out, whatever.
Furthermore, Australia is becoming a very multicultural country. This will lead to an increased number of ethnolects in Australian English.
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