Mike at Taree

Anybody noticed that there's a whole cohort of Australian women from about 30 onwards have a totally different accent to same age men?

Typical sentence:

Women: Noi I doint knoi where my moi-bile phoine is.

Men: Naw oi dawnt knaw where mawboile phawn is.

totally different vowels

Interesting

BadgeIsBack

Mike, it is interesting - I find the accent/diction of Australians fascinating.
It is more variable than widely realised- and there are all sorts of subtleties to pick up across region, demographic et cetera. There is a lot more to it than just going up at the end of the sentence - the classic question mark inflexion..

In Melbourne there is a sort of suburban accent found in women which might be like your example - a sort of drawl with a lot of emphasis. At it's worst, it's basically Kath and Kim - you sometimes hear it in the office but not so much in the professional classes...at best, it's not so bad - sort of Transatlantic.

Then you get the clipped variety, (not so shabby infact), and also a sort of US-inspired trill (shrill?) and 'babble' in the younger generation which is shared by both male and female...

Zen10

I have never noticed, but I try so hard to avoid contact with the masses this is no surprise!

Zen10

To be honest I find the Adelaide accent very mild and English compared to other parts of Australia - darnce, charnce, etc. They do have a tendency to say "is that all rart?" (all right) though.

Kapri

I find it interesting that you can't tell a persons class or occupation from their accent. I work with doctors and psychologists who have very broad Aussie accents. In the UK you wouldn't get this so much.

Zen10

The UK class hierarchy makes it easy to identify people, not only accent but also clothes, car, house, postcode, how they eat, when they eat, what they eat, what they drink, what they watch on TV, you name it. Australians I find much harder to read.

BadgeIsBack

Probably true: but

Allegedly this is the case, but you can often still tell Australian, you can still be fooled by Brits...after all Estuary is everywhere in the SE.

The young babble you get sometimes:I heard 3 students talking like this and I also detected a not unpleasant diction and pronunciation sort of shielded by the babble...

I supect the babble dies off once they finish their studies. I remember 'A' level students in the UK in London having their own sort of 'accent' and I am pretty sure they grew out of it. The only people who obviously didn't were people who had an accent drummed into them - often by family or school.

chris955

I think that is a bit of an outdated thing now, I meet all sorts and you wouldnt be able to tell what they are or what they do by the way they speak. It was probably true when class was a real issue in this country but not today in my experience.

BadgeIsBack

You know Chris, I think everyone likes to think this, but in reality if you are a bit 'posh' in the UK someone will eventually get around to telling you (with a drink in them say): and often they are quite nice about it! It sort of gets slipped in. That's my observation.

chris955

I just think some seem obsessed by a class system that compared to 100 years ago is of little consequence and rarely affects the average person. I dont see it as being any different to Australia, an ocker accent doesnt stop you being a snob.From my experience over the years both countries have changed and have converged to extent that wont please many.

BadgeIsBack

If it's happened in both countries then we have some sort of progress, and it's good all round. On a personal note, as long as standards don't drop, and traditions don't get forgetten, I am not fussed either way.

chris955

Well that we agree on.

BadgeIsBack

PS

If this convergence brings us the lowest common denominator then I say "Bring back the Biff"

chris955

Sorry to say i have no idea what that means

Mike at Taree

Another trend that started with teens now seems to be infecting young adults is the vowel that is written in phonetics as an "upside down letter e" that means a neutral vowel. Young Australians now pronounce it at the end of a word as a flat broad "a".

So:

My Fathaaaah is a Doctaaah and the lowest common denomitataaaah is something I'd rathaaaaah not look at furthaaaaaaaaah .

ad nauseam.