Any variety of Australian English can be valid depending on the context PDF

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Summary

VCE English Language unit 4 aos 1. Discusses identity in contemporary Australian society, with evidence such as presence of ethnolects, aboriginal languages and non standard Australian English....

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"Any variety of Australian English can be valid depending on the context". Discuss. Australia, like many other countries, is an English based speaking country however what distinct us from other nations is the different ways of communication in Standard Australian English. This is highlighted in our own separate set of linguistic rules as well as a distinctive phonology. Therefore, it is an important tool used to express one’s identity, without the existing large range of variation, we would lose a large part of our individualism. SAuE is an overt form of communication that is essential in fields such as law and politics, however the strict focus on it can cause us to be stripped of our identity. It is important to also recognise and maintain a positive attitude other existing and valid varieties that make up Australian English, such as ethnolects to allow migrant interlocutors to connect with their foreign descent in the context of speaking their mother-tongue language, nonstandard English involving slangs and neologisms to articulate our identity and specially to establish an in-group solidarity in the domain of teenspeak. And without the existence of Aboriginal English, Indigenous communities would not be able to integrate and preserve their heritage in our modern-day society. Ultimately, any variety of Australian English can be valid depending on the context. The modern-day Australian identity has much shifted away from the original perception of the 'white aussie bloke' and is now considered to be much more diverse, by extension, ethnolects aide in the expression of oneself in contexts involving a person's origin and culture. Since the migration of middle eastern individuals in 1975 to 1990, the way that people of this origin have weaved common nouns such as 'habibi' and 'shebab' and vulgar language like 'kelb' and 'hameer' from Arabic to enrich their ethnolect that further aids in their expression of culture. By using those terms, they can communicate ideas and similar themes with people from their culture that would not be possible without codeswitching. Italo-Australian English, a dialect specific to a region of Australia spoken by Italian descendants that is distinct from SAuE for their unique lexicology and morphology, is another example of an ethnolect in which they use certain phrases such as 'sette bello' in the classic Italian game, Scopa as well as one of the many popular lexemes ‘draviare’ which derives from both Australian English ‘to drive’ and Italian ‘guidare’. As a result, this creates a sense of community as a medium of communication is offered to these individuals for the utilization of these phrases and retaining linguistic aspects from their mother tongue, which are specific to those of the same origin and separate these speakers from other ethnic groups while continuingly adding to the diversity of the Australian society. Thus, immigrants and their communities are offered a medium to retain linguistic aspects from their mother tongue to express their ethnicity and culture in a predominantly Anglo society. On the other hand, the differences in these ethnolects are often met with the same criticisms for not being ‘grammatically correct’ and interlocutors of these varieties are labelled ‘uneducated’. It is important to be aware that these claims are false because SAuE and the many existing ethnolects are different forms of communication, this means that they may have different ethnolinguistic features to help to connect with their culture and communities. Therefore, they are just as valid as SAuE given that it is in an appropriate context, such as communicating with others of the same ethnic. The many languages and dialects spoken by First Nation individuals in Australia are valid however they are slowly dwindling in the number of speakers, henceforth why preservation and utilisation of Aboriginal English is crucial to the sustenance of their culture. Due to a variety of factors, many Indigenous languages no longer are spoken, as the younger generations slowly begin to learn English

as their first language as well as the increasing prescriptivist attitudes to this variety of English where greater negativities are placed on Aboriginal English as a Non-Standard dialect of English. This is because this variety of English differs from SAuE in terms of lexicology, phonology and morphology. In terms of phonological patterning, there is the omission of the ‘h’ phoneme at the start of lexemes, as a result, words like ‘house’ would be pronounced as ‘-ouse’. Furthermore, interlocutors of this variety would also switch the 'k' and 's' sounds in lexemes such as 'ask', pronouncing as 'aks'. In terms of the grammatical features, the irregular verb 'to be' is often left out. This is a pattern that reflects Indigenous languages where this verb is often not used, deriving from their maternal language, where it has been employed by the speakers to fulfil both the purposes of being able to communication with outsiders to merge in with the broader national group identity of the Anglo society, overt SAuE which is seen as more prestigious. Furthermore, as the family and shared group connection is prioritised in the Indigenous culture, lexemes with certain semantics exist in their vocabulary to encompass these ideas. This includes ‘rellies’ meaning relatives and ‘tiddas’ referring to sisterhood are just some of the lexemes that are created in Aboriginal English, that further give prominence and importance to their group’s identity and granting them to have a voice in the Australian society. Despite this, there are still negative outlooks onto this variety as prescriptivists view these interlocular as ‘uneducated’ and speak ‘broken English’ as it differs from SAuE. Like ethnolects, Aboriginal English are distinct from SAuE consisting of their own language rules and these features are reflected in their language. Therefore, it is important to recognise these differences as Aboriginal English as they allow Indigenous communities to be accepted and they are just as valid to the standard use of English. Non-standard Australian English is widely used in our contemporary society, and it is a valid use of language that is essential as a tool for the expression of one’s identity and the nation’s given the context. Through the globalisation in our changing world nowadays, it has been increasingly easier for the spread of nonstandard language features on social media such as slangs and newly developed lexemes, neologisms. Australian slang like ‘mate’ and ‘bloody’ are commonly used by the majority of people in this society as it is able to reflects our identity and values that is relaxed and laid back. This is because these lexemes effectively decrease formality by reducing social distance between speakers and help promote in group solidarity as people from the same community are more connected as a result. With this, there are different varieties of non-standard English that are formed because of geographical barriers and have links associated with certain accent. This is evidence with the difference between regional versus metropolitan Englishes, we observe that the further an individual is away from high density areas, cities like Melbourne and Sydney, the broader their speech is going to be, for example lexemes such as ‘pool’ would be pronounced like ‘pewl’ and ‘four’ would be ‘foewah’. This is opposite in populated areas because of globalisation where individuals are more likely to speak in the general accent, due to the difference between socioeconomics of particular regions. There are negative attitudes to the broader accent that are based on the assumptions that these speakers are uneducated and poorer because their accent is linked to these ideas that reflect presumed social differences whereas people who live in the city who are richer and smarter. Though this view is generalised and ignorant because this is not the case for everyone, and it should be dropped because this way of speech is important to each community. Differences in the variety of nonstandard Englishes should be looked upon equally and interlocutors are to be given the same respect as these covert forms are important in our diverse society and it allows for one’s identity to be displayed.

In conclusion, it is evident that the different ethnolects, Aboriginal language and the many nonstandard varieties of Australian English are valid given their contributions to the various of cultures and communities, making this country more diverse and welcoming to new developments in way of communication....