Question for people from Australia.....?

Show all answers

Polifia?

Agree with what a lot of the other people are saying. There is a definite difference between accents, however, it is very slight and not always present. I really think only aussies can really pick it up.

Generally, Qlders and NTerritorians tend to have a broader accents and do in fact speak rather slowly, use a lot more aussie slang and have a definite drawl.

I've been told us Sydneysiders speak quite fast in comparison to most other states. Back to this in a moment.

I won't restate what the other have already said in regard to the vowels, but what I have noticed is the difference between NSWelshmen and Victorians. In NSW we tend to pronounce the letter "e" like an "eh" whilst I find victorians tend to pronounce it almost like an "ae". I would say Mehlbourne, they would say Maelbourne. I say behlt they say baelt. They also tend to talk in slow motion.

Back to Sydney, I find you can often (though not always) tell a person's background; ie ethnic, level of education, area they grew up in. Anyone in Sydney could differentiate between someone who was raised in Campbelltown to someone who was raised in Point Piper. You can often pick someone who is of a specific ethnic origin, regardless of whether they have ever actually spoken a different language at home by particular intonations, accents and word choice. However, there are obviously all stereotypes and generalisations . . . from personal experience, I;ve found that the aussie accent generally tends to become closer to received pronunciation with the higher level of educations. I'm not quite sure why, possibly people just tend to be more careful (though even here it depends on the institution).

Quick personal anecdote; in high school we used to receive speech training and how to talk like "ladies" (and this was less than 10 years ago). Main purpose I think was to ensure we did not end up talking like a bunch of yobbos :)

purplebuggy

Not to the degree that there is in England but there are some difference. It's more to do with how the 'a' is pronounced (like "c-ar-stle" vs "c-ah-stle") or simply the actual words used. (rockmelon vs cantelope/ potato scallop vs potato cake). There is also the difference in fillers (ums, arrs, etc. Queenslanders, even if they deny it, always end statements with "ay?" and make it a retorical question. Then you have the different speeds of how people talk but this is probably harder to hear for some...
The final difference is insults - some insults aren't insults everywhere, in fact they might be normal words. This does often change with the times though...

tuppenybitz

not really, someone from the bush may sound a little different but you probably wouldn't notice it

No, there are very few regional variations, at least not the extent America and England have. I think there are 3 accents; broad, normal and cultivated. Broad was Steve Irwin and probably most people out of the major cities and towns, normal would be in the capitals and is how most speak and cultivated is for pretentious ******* like Alexander Downer who want to sound superior.

South Australians can sometimes sound more British, but it is only slight. I live in Brisbane and have been to Melbourne recently and I could honestly not tell a difference. The main variations in accent in Australia I think, has more to do with socio-economic background.

meowâ„¢

There are very fine differences I have noticed, but nothing compared to the English (my parents are English)..

Just to clarify another post, not all Queenslanders end their sentences with 'ay' either... am sure some do, but its not typical in Queensland. Its the same as some pommy's ending their sentences in 'yuh' or 'like'...

So yes, to answer your question, there is very slight differences in the way Australians speak from region to region, but not to the extent that it is in England.

Ms_S

Ahh, the difference is not as distinct as the differences their is in the UK, and probably noone but an Aussie could tell the difference. In my opinion their is no difference between Melbourne and Sydney. But Queensland and Perth both tend to have broader accents, like the Crocodile Hunter, and that goes for people in the country and on the outskirts of both Sydney and Melbourne. I'm probably insulting ppl here. lol. But it seems to me that people in the cities have a much milder accent.
I've also noticed that kids of immigrant parents have reaaaally thick accents. Like my Greek Aussie mates and my mates whose parents were from Vietnam and Korea and many different countries, all had really strong accents. I don't know why that is? I wish my accent was stronger, I now live overseas and ppl think I'm from England! I need to go back for a holiday and Aussie my accent up!

Annje

Yes there is a clear difference. SA accent differs to QLD but it may only be heard from an Aussie - we all probably sound the same to those from other countries - maybe not. There is a difference from some states/areas but maybe not as obvious or as much as say North or South America or places in the UK

filthy

not really. but bogans sound different to everyone but that isnt really in relation to different cities, because you can find bogans in evey part of australia.

Goonhilda

Not really. There are some slight regional differences (North Queenslanders tend to end things with 'but') but we all speak pretty much the same kind of English. The only exception is Adelaide. Adelaide was the only colony not founded as a penal colony. As a result, a lot of Germans were attracted to Adelaide in the beginning. You can still hear traces of their clipped language in some Adelaidian's accents, but it's so faint you might not notice it.

Cooter

no enough for you to notice, there are differences from city to country areas. you gotta remember we only have 21 million people in the whole country.
when I was in the states they couldn't tell if I was Aussie, English or new zealand. so unless your from here you wouldn't pick it

Janne B

Yes there is, not as much difference as the English ones

in Tasmania there vowel sounds don't have much of a drawl to it

Example: instead of meal they would say mill

in Queensland the accent has the biggest drawl.

Example: instead of TV they would say TeeeeVeeee

the rest of the states sound similar but yeah those are the main differences

Vicki R

From my own personal experience there is definitely a difference in both accent and usage of words from state to state. When I moved interstate from Queensland many years ago, my accent made people think I was from New Zealand. I spoke slower than the southern states of NSW and Victoria and clipped vowels. Now that I've moved back to Queensland, people think I'm British, because I have maybe over-adapted to try to speak with more rounded vowels and a little faster.

Words such as duchess (meaning dressing table), Cheerios (cocktail frankfurts) and refedex (meaning street directory) are unheard of in states other than Queensland. In fact, on a funny note, cheerios in New South Wales are called "little boys". Imagine going up to the delicatessen in the supermarket and asking for a dozen little boys please. But they sure know what you mean!! lol

mmdjaajl

not accent but people from different states do have diff rent names for a few things (bag=port) is one example

Leviticus

Not really, not like you get in England, maybe a teeny bit but you wouldn't be able to listen to someone and say - you must be from Darwin, or wherever.

askmechanic

Yes there is a very fine line of differance.
to listen the aussie accent I suggest you listen our kevin bloody wilson he is a bit naughty but full of aussie blood lol
here is the link of his local song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzICR09H_R8

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: