Australian English

INDIVIDUAL PAPER

TABLE OF CONTENT
INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................3
1. AUSTRALIA AND AUSTRALIAN ENGLISH.......................................................4
2. PECULARITIES OF AUSTRALIAN ENGLISH.....................................................5
2.1. PRONUCIATION...............................................................................................5
2.2. GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY.................................................................7
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................9
REFERENCES.............................................................................................................10
APPENDIX 1...............................................................................................................11
APPENDIX 2...............................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
This paper focuses on variety of English known as Australian English. That type of
English was acknowledged as different from British English by 1820. The Australian
English has influence from Australian Aboriginal languages, British language and
nowadays it is full of American English words.
The Australian English differs from other English dialects with accent and
vocabulary. Australians are speaking very fast and they like to use many
abbreviations, especially the young generation.
The Australian English language is much more nasal and less clipped than the British
English accent.
The goal of the paper is to research briefly:
Some information about country;
The Australian English peculiarities of grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary.

1. AUSTRALIA AND AUSTRALIAN ENGLISH

Figure 1.1
Australia is a country in the South Hemisphere and it is the sixth largest country in the
world. It has the lowest population density in the world.
Neighbouring countries include Indonesia, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea to the
north; the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia to the north-east; and New
Zealand to the south-east. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia, January 14, 2012)
The people in Australia are very optimistic. They live their lives to the fullest.
Australians are fun loving, courageous, talented, devoted and an adventurous nation.
They are very patriotic nation.
Australians have a unique colloquial language. This combines many long lost cockney
and Irish sayings of the early convicts with words from Aboriginal languages.
(http://www.australia.com, January 14, 2012)
The Australian English was first spoken by the children of the colonists born into the
colony of New South Wales. This very first generation of children created a new
dialect that was to become the language of the nation.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_English, January 13, 2012)

2. PECULARITIES OF AUSTRALIAN ENGLISH

The Australian English differs from other English dialects with accent and
vocabulary. Australians are speaking very fast and they like to use many
abbreviations, especially the young generation.
When you meet Australian English speaker in real, it is hard to understand what he is
saying, because his English differs from British and American English. They have
different vocabulary. In spite of that you can find common language with him.

2.1. PRONUCIATION
In Australia are 3 accents:
1. Cultivated
That accent is influenced from RP. The accent is very close to educated Southern
British, with just a hint to Australian English in certain vowels and in the
intonation.
2. Broad
This accent is the most clearly identified with the notion of an Australian twang.
3. General
Typically it is heard by radio announcers or newsreaders on television.
The following table shows difference between RP and general Australian accent.
Table 2.1.1
Received Pronunciation

/i:/
/:/
/u:/
//
//
/e/
/a/
/a/
//
//
/e/

General Australian

//
/a:/
//
/e/
/a/
//
//
//
//
/i:/
/e:/

Example

see /s/
heart /ha:t/
school /skl/
bad /bed/
cut /kat/
say /s/
high /h/
now /n/
no /n/
near /ni:/
hair /he:/

(http://australianenglish1.narod.ru/, January 14, 2012)

The major features of Australian English pronunciation are:
1. It is non-rhotic
2. Its intonation is flatter than that of RP.
3. Speech rhythms are slow, stress being more evenly spaced than in RP.
4. Consonants do not differ significantly from those in RP.
5. Vowels are in general closer and more frontal than in RP, with /i/ and /u/ as
in tea, two diphthongized to // and // respectively.
6. The vowel in can't dance may be // or /a/.
7. The schwa is busier than in RP, frequently replacing // in unaccented positions, as
in boxes, dances, darkest,velvet, acid.
8. Some diphthongs shift, RP /e/ towards //, as in Australia, day, mate, and /a/
towards //, as in high, wide.
9. Speakers whose first language is not English or who have a bilingual background
(Aboriginal, immigrant) often use sounds and a delivery influenced by the patterns of
the first or other language.
10. The name of the letter h is often pronounced haitch by speakers wholly or partly
of Irish-Catholic background.
(http://www.encyclopedia.com, January 14, 2012)
The Australian English language is much more nasal and less clipped than the British
English accent.

2.2. GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY

Australian English spelling and grammar generally follows conventions of British
English.
One of the characteristic of Australian English is abbreviated words, often
ending in -y, -ie, or -o:

aussie - Australian

chalky - teacher

chewie - chewing gum

chockie - chocoloate

coldie - a cold beer

cossie - swimming costume (swimsuit)

footy - football (Australian rules, of course)

frostie - a cold beer

garbo - garbage man

lavvy - lavatory

lippie - lipstick

lollies - sweets

mossie - mosquito

mushies - mushrooms

oldies - ones parents

rellies - ones relatives

sammie - sandwich

sickie - sick day

smoko - cigarette break

sunnies - sunglasses

Australian English has absorbed many Aboriginal words:

billibong - watering hole

coolabah - a type of tree

corroboree - a ceremony

nulla-nulla - a club

wallaby - small kangaroo

wombat - a small marsupial

woomera - a weapon

wurley - a simple shelter

In Australian English are words without any suffix, like:

hoon hooligan
nana banana
roo kangaroo
uni university
A za dimunitive is used for personal names
For example:
Barry becomes Bazza
Karen becomes Kazza
Sharon becomes Shazza
(http://australianenglish1.narod.ru/, January 14, 2012)

CONCLUSION
To conclude this paper I can say that Australian English is very interesting type of
English dialects. People who use it speak interesting because they use many
abbreviations, and their vocabulary differs from British and American English
speakers. These are two main things why it is hard to understand them. In spite of
that, everyone is able to find common language with them.

REFERENCES
People
Argots A., Australian
Internet sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia [Accesed January 14, 2012]
http://www.australia.com [Accesed January 14, 2012]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_English [Accesed January 13, 2012]
http://australianenglish1.narod.ru/ [Accesed January 14, 2012]
http://www.encyclopedia.com [Accesed January 14, 2012]
http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/country/australian+english.html
[Accesed January 14, 2012]
http://www.coolslang.com/in/strine/index.php [Accesed January 14, 2012]
Videos
Tubloid Junk, Australian English
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuRrp83jCuQ [Accesed 14, 2012]
Australian English accent, part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOnx21oL9zo&feature=related
[Accesed 14, 2012]
Australian English tip of the day by Amy Walker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RuoXH2fBDA&feature=related
[Accesed 14, 2012]

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APPENDIX 1
Idioms
Beyond the black stump
An Australian idiom idicating that even if you go as far as you can, the black
stump is still a little further.
Blood is worth bottling
If an Australian says to you "Your blood is worth bottling", he/she is
complimenting or praising you for doing something or being someone very
special.
Cut down the tall poppies
If people cut down the tall poppies, they criticise people who stand out from
the crowd.
Dog-whistle politics
When political parties have policies that will appeal to racists while not being
overtly racist, they are indulging in dog-whistle politics.
Dry as a wooden god
Very dry area or very thirsty: That desert is as dry as a wooden god.
Flat out like a lizard drinking
An Australian idiom meaning extremely busy, which is a word play which
humorously mixes two meanings of the term flat out.
Mad as a cut snake
One who is mad as a cut snake has lost all sense of reason, is crazy, out of
control.
On the knocker
If you do something on the knocker, you do it immediately or promptly.
On the wallaby track
In Australian English, if you're on the wallaby track, you are unemployed.
See which way the cat jumps
If you see which way the cat jumps, you postpone making a decision or acting
until you have seen how things are developing.

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APPENDIX 2
Slang words
Aussie Australian people
Amber nectar beer
Cook ones wife
Fair dinkum the real thing
Go walk about to disappear for a while

Australian English text sample

I got up and put on my black daks. They are the most exy piece of my clobber as
theyre my Dads last Chrissie prezzie. My Dads a bonzer bloke and I like him most
of all my rellies. Thats cos Ive got no Mum and my brothers a bloody bludger and
an ignorant ocker. Weve never been mateywith each other and I often get aggro with
him.
I had a nana and a sanger for brekkie and then took my ankle biters to the kindie. In
the arvo I talked to my nibs about our new Kiwi bizzo partners, and I had a snag and
a durry during the smoko. In the evo I dropped in to the shop to buy some tucker and
grog for the barbie well have on Sunday. Its London to a brick that no one will bring
anything, weve agreed it would be a BYO party though.
I had a chook, some vedgies and amber for tea and then Shazza lobbed in. She
looked beaut and in full feather, so she earbashed all night long. In the end I had to
walk her to her unit, cos my car had gone cactus. When I was back I felt a bit crook,
so I hit the sack right away.
(http://australianenglish1.narod.ru/, January 14, 2012)

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