Lexi Webster
The Australian accent is a relatively new dialect of English that has evolved over 200 years since colonisation. The accent has changed over time due to social and political factors, as well as the self-regulating nature of speech, which is constantly in flux. Actors taking on roles that require an Australian accent may find it challenging and may need to work with a dialect coach to sound authentic. There are a variety of features that characterise the Australian accent, and it is important to learn the differences between similar-sounding accents, such as British and Kiwi accents, to speak authentically.
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What You'll Learn
Learn the differences between Australian and British accents
It can be challenging to differentiate between the Australian and British accents due to their shared history of British colonisation. However, there are distinct differences between the two that are worth noting.
Firstly, both accents are non-rhotic, meaning that the "r" sound is dropped when it precedes a consonant or at the end of a word. For example, "hard" may sound like "hahd", and "baritone" may become "bah-ritone". The musicality of the Australian accent is also slightly softer and flatter than its British counterpart.
The most notable differences lie in the pronunciation of vowels. Australians tend to elongate their vowels, and words ending with an "ay" sound may be pronounced as "ie". For instance, the "o" sound in "bottle" is pronounced differently in the two accents: "aaw" in Australian English versus "awe" in British English. Additionally, a hard "a" in Australian English sounds more like "eye", while a soft "a" sounds like "eh".
Australian English also has unique slang words and vocabulary not found in other English accents. For example, "afternoon" becomes "arvo", and "business" is shortened to "bizzo". Australians also use diminutives more frequently, such as "servo" for "gas station" or "lollies" for "candy". These differences can make communication challenging, even among native English speakers.
While there is no uniform British or Australian accent, the variations within each country contribute to the rich diversity of English dialects worldwide.
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Understand the musicality of the Australian dialect
The Australian dialect is softer and flatter than the British dialect. The Australian accent is also non-rhotic, meaning that the "'r' sound is dropped when it comes before a consonant or at the end of a word." For example, "hard" is pronounced as "hahd", and "baritone" as "bah-ritone".
The Australian accent is also known for its unique vowel sounds. A hard "a" sounds like "eye", while a soft "a" sounds like "eh". For instance, the word ""plain" is pronounced as "pl-aye-n", with the "a" drawn out like "ah-eh-ee". Similarly, "music" sounds like "myusic", with a "y" sound before the "u".
The Australian accent also tends to drop certain letters, such as the "'r' sound, which is replaced with an "ah" sound, so "car" becomes "cah". The hard "g" sound at the end of words is also often dropped or softened, so "writing" becomes "wridin'" and "better" becomes "beddah".
There are also regional variations within Australia. The dialects spoken in the eastern states differ from those in South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia. The Torres Strait Islands have their own distinctive dialect, known as Torres Strait English, which has further variations, such as Torres Strait Creole.
Additionally, ethnocultural dialects in Australia reflect the diverse backgrounds of minority groups, with features of General Australian English blended with non-English language elements from languages such as Afro-Asiatic and Asian languages.
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Practice pronunciation of vowels
Australian English is a non-rhotic accent, which means that the "'r'" sound is dropped when it comes before a consonant or at the end of a word. For example, "hard" is pronounced as "hahd", and "baritone" as "bah-ritone". However, the musicality of the Australian dialect is softer and slightly flatter than British English. The differences in vowel sounds are also more noticeable.
In Australian English, the hard "a" sound is pronounced like "eye", and the soft "a" sound is pronounced like "eh". For example, the word "bed" is pronounced with the same vowel sound as "bared" but with a different length. This is known as a length diacritic, which distinguishes between the two words. The same goes for the words "bud" and "bard", which are pronounced with the same vowel sound but with different lengths.
The Mitchell-Delbridge (MD) system, first adopted in the 1940s, has been found to have a poor correlation with cardinal IPA vowels for Australian English. For instance, the MD system represents the vowel in the word "hoot" as /u/, a 'high, back, rounded vowel'. However, the monophthong vowel chart from Cox (2013) shows that the same vowel is better represented as /ʉː/, which is a 'central vowel'.
The Harrington/Cox/Evans (HCE) system was developed to better capture the actual pronunciation of vowels in Australian English. The HCE system uses the same symbols as MD for consonants, but with significant changes to the vowels. The HCE system has 13 monophthong vowel phonemes and 7 diphthong vowel phonemes, compared to MD's 12 monophthong and 8 diphthong vowel phonemes. The HCE system also captures the fact that some contrastive vowel phonemes in Australian English can be thought of as long and short versions of the same vowel.
The HCE system also reflects the ongoing changes in Australian English pronunciation. For example, the vowel in words like "bear, care, fair" is represented as a diphthong /ɛə/ in the MD system, but as a long monophthong /eː/ in the HCE system. This change is supported by evidence that this vowel is increasingly being monophthongised in current Australian English.
To practice your Australian accent, it is important to focus on the pronunciation of vowels and the non-rhotic nature of the accent. You can use resources like the International Phonetic Alphabet or online accent generators to help you improve your pronunciation and sound more like a natural.
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Use an Australian accent generator
There are several Australian accent generators available online. These include:
Narakeet
Narakeet offers an Australian accent generator with 24 Australian English text-to-speech male and female voices. The voices are realistic and life-like, and can be used to create voiceovers, audio files, and videos. You can also use Narakeet to translate Word documents or PowerPoint files into an Australian accent.
ResponsiveVoice
ResponsiveVoice provides an all-in-one, affordable, and user-friendly solution for integrating text-to-speech with an Australian accent. It is supported natively in Chrome desktop, Safari, and iOS. ResponsiveVoice only weighs 14kB and solves various problems associated with speech synthesis, such as per-character costs, timing delays, and speech rate issues.
ReadSpeaker
ReadSpeaker offers an Australian English AI voice generator that can create any type of audio content. Their text-to-speech technology is accessible to individuals with visual impairments or reading difficulties. It also ensures consistent voice and messaging across platforms, which is beneficial for brand identity.
These Australian accent generators can be useful tools for creating content, experimenting with pronunciation, or even for actors looking to adopt an Australian accent for a role. However, it is important to note that these generators may not capture all the nuances of the Australian accent and its various dialects.
If you are an actor, you may also consider working with a dialect coach to help you consistently change a number of key sounds and adopt a genuine version of the Australian accent.
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Consider a dialect coach
If you're struggling to adopt an Australian accent, you may want to consider a dialect coach. While there are tips and tricks to help you sound like a natural, a dialect coach will help you to adopt a genuine version of an Australian speech pattern, rather than creating a caricature or speaking in a way that could be deemed disrespectful.
Actor-director and voice, speech, and dialect coach Paul Ricciardi notes that "most actors won't be able to do a completely authentic dialogue, so coaches will work with the actor to consistently change a number of key sounds". Ricciardi also highlights the importance of learning the differences between similar accents, such as British, Australian, and Kiwi (New Zealand) accents, to ensure you're speaking authentically.
An Australian dialect coach will provide you with practical techniques for acquiring an Australian accent, as well as a greater awareness of Australian culture. They will also teach you common errors and pronunciation solutions, and provide strategies for effective conversation skills while studying.
There are different types of Australian accents, and a dialect coach will be able to help you identify the right one for your needs. For example, at the time of publishing a paper on Australian accents, it was estimated that 34% of the Australian population spoke with a broad accent, 55% with a general accent, and 11% with a cultivated accent.
Lessons in Australian accent training will teach you about voice placement and how to shape your mouth to create the Australian sound. You'll also learn about unique Aussie vowel pronunciations, such as the "AR" combination as in "START", and when to drop R sounds that follow other vowels.
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Frequently asked questions
The Australian accent has changed a lot since colonisation. If you want to adopt an Australian accent, you can use an Australian accent generator or turn to a dialect coach.
The Australian accent is non-rhotic, meaning that when an “r” comes before a consonant or at the end of a word, the sound is dropped. For example, “hard” will sound more like “hahd”. A hard “a” sounds more like “eye” and a soft “a” sounds more like “eh”.
Kate Winslet in “The Dressmaker” and Dev Patel in “Lion” are said to have had good Australian accents.
The Australian accent is often mistaken for a British or Kiwi (New Zealand) accent. It is important to learn the differences between these accents if you want to speak authentically.
The Australian accent has changed due to both external (social/political) and internal (linguistic/phonetic) factors. The accent of a community changes alongside social and political shifts, as well as the self-regulating and constantly evolving nature of speech.
