sadieb

Hi
I spoke to a few Australian historians in Oz (yes they do have them)
I asked where the Australian accent came from and none of them were able to answer.
Most looked really shocked and offended and said we have always spoken like this. !!

Now I am no historian but as the country was made up of convicts mostly from the UK and from free settlers / immigrants, where did the accent come from.

It is like a rounded nasaly drawl. That's what my ears hear anyway.
Can anyone help

Thanks

xzibit

I think it has evolved from the Landan 'cockney' accent. That's where most of the crims came from that founded the country anyway.

Officer Dibble

Of course, the two accents are completely identical.

canadaeh

That's what I've heard, it came from Cockney and then evolved into what it is now.

I think the Aussie accent is horrible, I cringe when I hear it on TV or people around me. It's too slow and nasaly.

Officer Dibble

Its even worse when youre surrounded by Aussies when overseas. Its magnified.

How did the scouse accent come about, thats what I want to know.

canadaeh

I always notice that, you hear it a mile away and think 'oh god they've followed me'. I always get to hear them saying something silly, I was in Dublin a while ago and 'they' were on the bus and one said to the other one 'why are all the street signs in French and English' I felt like slapping them, it's bloody Irish!

xzibit

I said evolved, which tends to imply it has changed.

It's an awful accent, very whiney. I cringe every time "Summer" talks on Neighbours. When I'm there I take pleasure in taking the piss out of their accent.

sadieb

Thanks for the replies,
Glad it's not just me that can't stand it, with it's high pitched endings to words.

One historian told me it came from England and that it has always been the way it is.. Think he was just making that up hmmmm..
I have never heard anyone in the UK speak like an Australian except the people from Oz over here of course.

sadieb

I remember when we were moving over to Oz and other half said, Oh! god I hate that accent, I said they won't all sound like that..
We moved to Qld and every day in work he got asked numerous times
Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaws it gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwn.

I thought he was going to have a nervous breakdown, ha ha

Officer Dibble

Ive noticed in recent years the Aussie accent (particularly among teenagers), has started to develop a slight American twang to it.

Amazulu

I think the same when I hear thick-ass Midlands, Manchester, Welsh accents. Really magnified.

Officer Dibble

A mate of mine in England was from Queensland and we'd all piss ourselves laughing when he said 'pool' and 'school' in that true Queensland fashion.

sadieb

At least you can avoid those places in the UK and not hear those accents, unfortunately in Oz every one has the same nasaly drawl
Hence no escape from that high pitched drawn out accent.

Are there any accents in the UK you do like?
I assume you like your own, although I may be wrong and you may not like that either.

Hopefully you won't get too many foreigners from the UK living near you so can just enjoy the Australian accent.

Did you have an answer to my original question ? or were you just playing tit for tat.

fish.01

Do you not understand that it can originate from the English accent without you hearing any English speak like an ozstraylian in England?

BTW there is quite a variation in Australian accents with regards to the amount of nasal and drawl. Is your husband a tradesman?

Amazulu

I do - Geordie (especially women), Liverpool, N Irish (women again), some Scottish accents, London.