What is Australian English?
Australia, kangaroos, incomparable landscapes, surfing, beaches … Who has not dreamed of enjoying all this? But before traveling to the other side of the planet, you should know that the English spoken there is a little different from that spoken in Great Britain or the United States. Do you want to discover what Australian English consists of ?
Well, to be more exact, it is neither more nor less than a variety of English. But don’t worry if you haven’t studied it at school or university, you’ll be able to make yourself understood anyway when you go on a language stay or a tourist trip.
From a linguistic point of view , we speak of three types of Australian English, which are usually identified with a particular social class or educational level.
In Australia, as in many other countries, English is the official language.
The Broad is an English that has a very strong accent , although “normal” English and educated or formal English are also spoken. These three categories contribute to enriching Australian English, although they will not be a great obstacle for those who do not master it.
English in Australia differs from other varieties in terms of its historical evolution. In fact, after the founding of the New South Wales colony, a mixture of English, Irish and German was created, which gives a very interesting touch to this language.
Australia was not independent until 1901, so it is not surprising that the English there is so strongly influenced by British English. Little by little, it has become Americanized and has been creating its own vocabulary, its own phonetics and even its own pronunciation; in short, it has been building its own identity.
Within the thousands of linguistic characteristics of this language there are specific typically Australian words. Among the most common, we find:
” Mate” : This term means “colleague”, “uncle”, and is usually used at the end of sentences. Australians call each other that, so feel free to do the same!
” Good day” : Goodbye to the famous “hello” and the boring “good morning”. Now let us welcome ‘G’daye’, a typical Australian expression.
“Aussie”: It is the word used to speak of an Australian, that simple.
“Drongo”: We use this term to call someone “dumb” or “idiot.” It’s not a very cute term, so we hope you never have to use it.
All this, of course, is accompanied by the accent of the country . Do you dare to immerse yourself fully in this wonder? For example, the letter “a” is often pronounced as an “i” or an “eh.” Thus ‘cat’ is pronounced ‘ceht’, ‘day’ is pronounced ‘daye’, or ‘Kate’ is pronounced ‘Kayte’. To all this we add that Australians are very friendly and kind.
Another variant of English, easily recognizable also thanks to its accent, is Scottish English. Do you want to find out? What is Australian English?