Language and Identity in Australia

The manner of speaking is an expression of identity. It signals identification with one group and rejection of another. For example, when soccer player David Beckam says, "I want to fank everyone for coming" his substitution of an 'f' sound for the 'th' sound shows pride in his working class roots.

In England, accents vary according to class and region. In America, they vary according to race and region. Unlike America or England, Australia has no variance in speaking according to class, race or region. Instead, the accent varies according to ideology or gender. Two Australians can grow up side by side, go to the same schools, do the same job, but end up speaking English using different words, different grammar and with different accents.

Australia has three recognised accents. About ten per cent of Australians speak like ex-prime minister Bob Hawke with what is known as a broad Australian accent. The broad Australian accent is usually spoken by men. 80 per cent speak like Nicole Kidman with a general Australian accent. 10 per cent speak like ex Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser with British received pronunciation or cultivated English. Although some men use the pronunciation, the majority of Australians that speak with the accent are women.

It is a myth that working class Australians use cockney like David Beckam. It is a myth that Queenslanders speak differently to South Australians. It is also a myth that children of migrants have distinct accents.

 

Bill Hunter - Broad Australian English

Broad Australian Accent

The broad Australian accent is typically associated with Australian masculinity. Notable speakers include ex-Prime Minister Bob Hawke, comedian Paul Hogan and actor Bill Hunter. Although the accent is only spoken by a minority of the population, it has a great deal of cultural credibility. It is disproportionately used in advertisements and by newsreaders.

Very few women use broad Australian accents, probably because the accent is associated with Australian masculinity. If an Australian woman used it, she would sound like a woman partial to a spot of pig shooting or making fart jokes.

 

 

Nicole Kidman - general Australian English

General Australian Accent

Around 80 per cent of Australians speak like actor Nicole Kidman with what is known as a general Australian English. These accents are somewhat of a mix between the broad Australian and cultivated accents. Because they are comparatively neutral in ideology, most of the speakers believe that they don't have an accent. The speakers realise that they speak differently to the broad Australian speakers that they associate with Australia as well as the cultivated speakers that they associate with upper class or elitism. .

 

 

Cate Blanchett - Cultivated accent

Cultivated Australian Accent

A final ten per cent of Australians speak with what is known as a cultivated accent, which sounds a bit like Prince Charles. It is usually spoken by women wanting to portray a feminine and sophisticated image. Although most speakers are women, some men, such as ex-prime minister Malcolm Fraser, use the accent.

In the past, the cultivated accent had the kind of cultural credibility that the broad accent has today. For example, until 30 years ago newsreaders on the government funded ABC had to speak with the cultivated accent. Since there was a shortage of Australian men able to speak in the accent, male newsreaders were imported from England. (At the time, women were not allowed to be newsreaders on government television.)

 

Myth – There is regional variance in pronunciation

There is a myth that Australians speak differently in different parts of Australia. For example, some people believe that all Queenslanders use the broad Australian accent. The myth probably comes from the combination of the stereotypes that Australians are racist and that Queenslanders are the most racist people in Australia. Because Queenslanders are racists, the stereotype proposes that they must speak with the broad accent. The stereotype is not based in fact. Queenslanders have the same variance in accent according to gender and ideology that is seen around Australia.

Some people believe that South Australians talk like New Zealanders. The myth probably comes from a presumption that since South Australia and New Zealand didn't receive convicts, both should speak the same way. Again, the presumption is incorrect. South Australians have the same variance in accent according to gender and ideology that is seen around Australia.

The only regional difference is in regards to occasional words like 'castle.' These regional variances are insignificant compared to variances according to gender or ideology.

 

Effie (Mary Coustas) - Wog stereotype accent

Myth – There is ethnic variance in pronunciation

Most migrants who speak English as their second language have an ethnic accent. The children of migrants, who speak English as their first language, use a broad, general or cultivated accent depending upon their ideology or gender.

Sometimes the children of migrants will put on the accent of their parents as a joke. For example, actor Mary Coustas created the character of Effie, which used a wog accent. It was not her real accent.

 

Kath and Kim - Stereotype low class accent

Myth – Poor Australians speak broad Australian, cockney or a low class accent

Much like the character of Effie, the characters of Kim & Kim involve the creation of fictional stereotypes of low class Australians that can be subsequently mocked.

Contrary to the fictional portrayals, there is no relationship between socio-economic status and the manner of speaking. It is; however, more likely that women from wealthy families will speak with a cultivated accent because it is more likely that their parents will send them to a finishing school to cultivate a manner of speaking associated with elegance. The elegant image will be beneficial for the women because, as the characters of Kath & Kim and Effie show, there is ridicule associated with Australian women who lack elegance when speaking.

Unlike Australian women, Australian men will rarely be sent to finishing schools in order to improve their speech. This is probably because elegance is not an admired masculine quality in Australia. An Australian man that speaks like Prince Charles or Malcolm Fraser is likely to find himself the target of school yard bullies.

The broad Australian accent has cultural prestige for men because it creates an image that the man has the ability to relate to people from all walks of life, and will treat everyone with a sense of equality. For example, even though the late billionaire Kerry Packer was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he used a broad accent his entire life. The broad accent helped create a perception that Packer had an egalitarian ethic, which contributed greatly to his popular appeal amongst average Australians.

Of course, not all Australians (i.e, Malcolm Fraser) believe that the broad accent has a positive image. As a result, they prefer to speak like an Englishman.

 

Malcolm Fraser and Julian Burnside using cultivated accents to talk about "Australian values"

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