Damon Mcknight
Australia has no official language, but English is the de facto national language and the first language of most Australians. Australian English is a variety of English with a distinctive accent and lexicon, and differs slightly from other varieties of English in grammar and spelling. Australian English began to diverge from British and Hiberno-English after the First Fleet established the Colony of New South Wales in 1788. It is also influenced by Aboriginal English, which varies along a continuum from forms close to Standard Australian English to more non-standard forms. There are also several creole languages derived from Australian English, such as Kriol and Torres Strait Creole, which are widely spoken by Indigenous Australians.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Australia's national language | English |
| English speakers in Australia | 72% (2021 census) to 73% (2016 census) |
| Languages spoken by the remaining population | Mandarin, Arabic, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Punjabi, Greek, Italian, Hindi, Spanish, Nepali, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island languages, and others |
| English dialects spoken in Australia | General Australian or Australian English |
| Aboriginal languages | About 15 are in use by all ages, and about 110 are only spoken by older people in communities |
| Aboriginal people's English-speaking capabilities | Most Aboriginal people in remote communities speak English to some extent, with many only knowing basic English |
| English influence on the Aboriginal community | English was enforced on the Aboriginal community by the Australian government until the 1960s |
| Influence of other languages on Australian English | Languages from Asia, Samoa, Lebanon, Vietnam, and other parts of the world |
| Australian English slang characteristics | Abbreviations, nicknames, and diminutives (e.g., "arvo" for "afternoon") |
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What You'll Learn
- English is the de facto national language of Australia
- Australian English has a distinctive accent and vocabulary
- Aboriginal Australians were historically oppressed and forced to learn English
- Aboriginal Australians today speak English to varying degrees of fluency
- Australian English has been influenced by immigration from the UK, US, and Asia
English is the de facto national language of Australia
The English language in Australia, or Australian English, has a distinctive accent and lexicon and differs slightly from other varieties of English in grammar and spelling. Australian English began to diverge from British and Hiberno-English after the First Fleet established the Colony of New South Wales in 1788. It arose from a dialectal melting pot created by the intermingling of early settlers from various dialectal regions of Great Britain and Ireland, with the most significant influences being the dialects of South East England. By the 1820s, the native-born colonists' speech was recognisably distinct from speakers in Britain and Ireland.
The distinctiveness of Australian English is further influenced by the emergence of ethnocultural dialects, spoken by people from minority non-English speaking backgrounds. These dialects contain features of General Australian English as adopted by the children of immigrants, blended with non-English language elements from languages such as Afro-Asiatic languages, Asian languages, and Samoan English.
English is the language of education in Australia, being the main language used in compulsory schooling, as well as in federal, state, and territorial legislatures and courts. It is also the language of commerce, administration, and science. The use of English in these domains reinforces its position as the de facto national language.
While English is the dominant language in Australia, it is important to acknowledge the existence of numerous Indigenous languages and dialects, with around 120 to 170 still spoken today. However, many of these languages are endangered, and most Aboriginal people in remote communities speak English to some extent.
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Australian English has a distinctive accent and vocabulary
Australian English has evolved since the onset of British settlement in 1788, when the First Fleet established the Colony of New South Wales. The English language brought over by the settlers intermingled with the dialects of the indigenous Aboriginal Australians, as well as those of other immigrants from around the world, resulting in the emergence of Australian English and its distinctive accent and vocabulary.
Australian English is non-rhotic, meaning the /r/ sound is not pronounced if it comes after a vowel and is not followed by another vowel. For example, the word "card" is pronounced as "caːd", with the /r/ sound being dropped. The ending of words like "better" and "wetter" is also lowered, sounding like "ah" – "bett-ah", "wett-ah", and so on.
Australian English also has a unique vocabulary, with words and phrases that differ from both British and American English. For example, Australians say "aluminium" instead of "aluminum", "mobile phone" instead of "cell phone", "anti-clockwise" instead of "counter-clockwise", and "bonnet" instead of "hood". They also use distinctive phrases such as "arvo" (afternoon), "barbie" (barbecue), "smoko" (cigarette break), "Aussie" (Australian), and "Straya" (Australia).
The vocabulary used by Australians also varies across the country, with certain words being strongly regional in nature. For instance, the word "but" is used as a concluding particle in Western Australia and Queensland, marking contrastive content in the utterance it closes. The geographical background of an individual may, therefore, be inferred from the use of peculiar words or phrases associated with specific regions.
Australian English has been influenced by a range of factors, including the intermingling of early settlers from various dialectal regions, the introduction of vocabulary from American English during the Australian gold rushes in the 1850s, and the popularity of American films in the early 20th century. The increasing dominance of Standard Australian English, particularly in urban areas, has been influenced by its prominence on radio and television since the latter half of the 20th century.
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Aboriginal Australians were historically oppressed and forced to learn English
Aboriginal Australians have historically been oppressed and forced to learn English at the expense of their mother tongue and ancestral languages. It was government policy until the 1960s to oppress Aboriginal language and culture. This oppression varied, and while some languages have survived, many Indigenous people have been forced to speak Standard Australian English (AusE).
Prior to colonisation, it is estimated that there were about 600 Aboriginal languages in Australia. Today, there are 200 different Aboriginal dialects, with about 20 in constant use. Many Aborigines speak dialects mixed with English, which may be incomprehensible to those unfamiliar with the language.
In 2007, a plan by the Australian government to force Aboriginal children to learn English caused fierce debate, with some activists calling the plan racist and insulting. The initiative was put forward by Australia's indigenous affairs minister, Mal Brough, who argued that compulsory English teaching would help Aboriginal children escape poverty and inequality and find jobs. He said:
> "If you don't have maths and English and a basic education ... then you can't be employed."
However, others saw the plan as a continuation of colonialism and cultural disrespect. One activist, Sam Watson, said the government seemed to be "inventing new ways of showing Aboriginal people cultural disrespect". While some agreed in principle with the push for indigenous children to be compelled to learn English, they acknowledged the need to improve literacy and numeracy standards while also maintaining the Aboriginal mother tongue.
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Aboriginal Australians today speak English to varying degrees of fluency
Australia has no official language, but English is the first language of the majority of the population. It has been entrenched as the de facto national language since British settlement, being the only language spoken in 72% of Australian homes in 2021. English is also the main language used in compulsory education and in federal, state, and territorial legislatures and courts.
Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands. At the time of European colonisation, the Aboriginal people consisted of more than 250 languages and varying degrees of technology and settlements. Today, many of these original languages are endangered or extinct, and only 13 traditional Indigenous languages are being acquired by children, with about 100 more spoken by older generations.
Most Aboriginal people speak English, with Aboriginal phrases and words being added to create Australian Aboriginal English (AAE or AbE). AbE is a set of dialects of the English language used by a large section of the Indigenous Australian population as a result of the colonisation of Australia. It is made up of a number of varieties which developed differently in different parts of Australia, and grammar and pronunciation differ from standard Australian English. Some of its words have also been adopted into standard or colloquial Australian English. There are distinctive features of phonology, grammar, words, and meanings, as well as language use in AbE, compared with standard Australian English.
AbE is spoken among Aboriginal people generally, but is especially evident in "discrete communities", such as ex-government or mission reserves. There exists a continuum of varieties of AbE, ranging from light forms, close to standard Australian English, to heavy forms, closer to Kriol. Specific features of AbE differ between regions. For example, in Nyungar country in Perth, Western Australia, AbE includes address terms and kinship, uninverted questions (e.g., "That's your Auntie?"), the utterance tag "unna", and Nyungar terms such as "boodjar" and "moorditji".
Some Aboriginal people, especially those living in remote areas, are multilingual. Aboriginal people living in major cities tend to strive to speak more like standard Australian English when speaking to a non-Indigenous English speaker, a practice sometimes referred to as diglossia or codeswitching.
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Australian English has been influenced by immigration from the UK, US, and Asia
The immigration of non-native English speakers from the Scottish Highlands and Wales, as well as the adoption of elements from Aboriginal languages, also played a role in shaping Australian English. The unique pronunciation of Australian English, particularly the phonetic quality of its vowels, distinguishes it from other varieties. The long vowels in Australian English, including monophthongs and diphthongs, correspond to the tense vowels in Received Pronunciation (RP), while the short vowels are monophthongs that align with RP lax vowels. This distinction is also present in some regional southeastern dialects of the UK and eastern US dialects.
In addition to external influences, Australian English has developed its own unique features. Diminutives and hypocorisms, such as "arvo" (afternoon) and "barbie" (barbecue), are commonly used to indicate familiarity. Incomplete comparisons like "sweet as" and intensifiers such as "full," "fully," or "heaps" are also part of Australian English. While Australia has no official language, English is the first language for the majority of the population and serves as the de facto national language.
The influence of immigration from Asia on Australian English is evident in the emergence of ethnocultural dialects. The children of immigrants blend General Australian English with non-English language features from Afro-Asiatic languages and Asian languages. Samoan English, for example, has influenced Australian English, and ethnolects of Lebanese and Vietnamese Australians are also present. These influences have contributed to the rich diversity of Australian English, reflecting the multicultural nature of the country's society.
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Frequently asked questions
There is no official language in Australia, but English is the de facto national language and is spoken at home by the majority of Australians. Australian English has a distinctive accent and vocabulary, but it is still a variety of the English language.
Australian English arose from a mixture of dialects brought over by early settlers from Great Britain and Ireland, particularly those from South East England. The language began to diverge from British and Hiberno-English after the Colony of New South Wales was established in 1788.
Australian English is known for its use of diminutives and hypocorisms, such as "arvo" for "afternoon" and "barbie" for "barbecue". Australians also have a habit of abbreviating words and creating nicknames, such as adding "-ie" to the end of names. Australian English also has some regional variations, with certain words being peculiar to particular states or territories.
There are a variety of Indigenous languages spoken in Australia, including around 120 to 170 Indigenous languages and dialects that are still in use today. However, many of these languages are endangered. There are also a number of English-based creole languages, such as Kriol and Torres Strait Creole, which have developed in Australia after European contact. In addition, due to immigration, many other languages are spoken in Australia, including Mandarin, Arabic, Vietnamese, and Cantonese.
