The phonological aspect of Australian English

1.

The Phonological Aspect of
Australian English

2. Australian English features:

-It has its own characteristic vowel realizations, rhythm and
intonation patterns.
-Its phonological system shares many features with other English
varieties, but differs in the realization of particular phonemes.
-Three broad accent categories are traditionally distinguished:
Broad, General and Cultivated Australian English.
-Australian English is not uniform; pronunciation varies according to
region, age, social background and cultural identity.

3.

Australian accents
Broad accent
"Oh, ah, several cups of tea"
General accent
"Well may we say 'God save
the Queen' . . . "
Cultivated accent
"Fellow Australians"

4. The Australian English Vowel System

Vowels are one of the most distinctive features of
Australian English.
Vowels differ in tongue height, tongue position and lip
rounding.
Australian English has monophthongs and diphthongs.
Several vowel qualities differ from those found in
British and American English.

5. Consonants and Non-Rhoticity

-Australian English is generally non-rhotic.
-/r/ is usually not pronounced after a vowel when no vowel
follows.
-/r/ may be pronounced when the next word begins with a
vowel.
-Plosive consonants include /p, t, k, b, d, ɡ/.

6. Stress, Rhythm and Connected Speech

Word stress distinguishes syllables within words.
Sentence stress highlights important information.
Unstressed vowels may be reduced to /ə/ (schwa).
Sounds can become linked or weakened in fluent speech.
Rhythm depends on stress, reduction and timing.
"The three girls, Sallyanne, Zita and Del, wore their fake fur coats, brown boots and felt hats to
our high school dance in second year."

7. Intonation and Contemporary Variation

-Intonation is the pattern of pitch movement in speech.
-Falling tones often signal completion or certainty.
-Rising tones may signal questions, uncertainty or
engagement.
-High rising terminals can occur in Australian statements.
-Intonation varies with context, speaker and communicative
purpose.

8. Let’s listen to the 3 AuEn accents 

Let’s listen to the 3 AuEn accents ☺
Cultivated accent
Broad accent
General accent