Does the word "here" have one syllable or two? Does "France" rhyme with "pants" or "aunts"?
Across Australia, linguists are revolutionising the understanding of how Aussies' voices differ from one another, fuelling new insights into what was once thought to be a monolithic accent.
Felicity Cox is one of the researchers leading this effort at Macquarie University's School of Linguistics.
"We didn't really start thinking about this wide range of variation until recently," Professor Cox says.
"What we're finding now is that Australian English is diversifying in really interesting ways."
These differences can span particular communities, regions, cultures and generations.
In a 2023 research paper, Debbie Loakes and other linguists at the University of Melbourne found the Victorian habit of pronouncing "el" and "al" the same way (eg "celery" becomes "salary") was dying out among young people in the state's north, but persisting in the south.
"What I found was in Warrnambool the sound change was advancing, so that meant that more people were merging those sounds together, whereas in Mildura only the old people were doing that," Dr Loakes says.
Three types of Aussie accents or more?
Historically, researchers have classified Australian accents as broad, general, and cultivated.
These variations are still heard today, with broad accents being the strongest (Steve Irwin), general accents the most common (Kevin Rudd) and cultivated accents the most practised and posh (Cate Blanchett).
However, recent research has moved away from this perspective.
"In the 60s, 70s and 80s there was this idea that Australian English had three varieties but they were really focusing on that mainstream Australian English," Professor Cox says. Instead, Macquarie University's Department of Linguistics lists ethnocultural, mainstream and Aboriginal Australian English as the three primary subgroups of the Australian accent today.
Dr Loakes says linguists used to think younger Australians were trending away from the broad and cultivated accents toward a more general voice, but that recent work suggests the changes are more complicated.
"There are lots of sound changes going on in communities that we're not aware of and they may advance and they may not advance," she says.
The death of the ABC accent
ABC listeners may be familiar with the archetypal cadence and tone of Australia's national broadcaster, which certainly falls into the cultivated accent camp.
However, listening to archival recordings makes it clear that the "ABC accent" is far milder today than it was just a few decades ago, and many presenters actively reject it.
ABC WA presenter Andrew Collins says times have changed since he first applied for a job at the national broadcaster.
"This was in Broken Hill 17 years ago – I really struggled to get the tick because I didn't have an ABC voice," he says.
"But I snuck in and 17 years later the mould is out the window."
Collins is not alone in thinking the ABC has dropped its signature voice.
"There 100 per cent is an ABC voice but I don't feel any pressure to use it," ABC Science reporter Belinda Smith says.
"I think our voice and our accent really helps make us who we are and I always encourage ABC reporters not to do the classic news reporter voice," ABC Indigenous reporter Tom Forrest says.
Source: https://amp.abc.net.au/article/103321146
2024-06-26