Sec C Flashcards
Standard Australian English quotations
- “More formal choices reflect serious subjects… elevate the style of discourse and lend dignity, weight and authority to a communication” (Pam Peters)
- “a benchmark of excellence that reflects correctness, precision, purity and elegance” (Burridge)
- “Standard Australian English is the dominant dialect used by the vast majority of speakers” (Australian Voices, Macquarie University)
Standard Australian English quick example
In a school communication about satisfactory completion of VCE, nominalised nouns such as “assessment”, “submission” and “achievement” are used, reflecting the authority and professionalism of the school. The formality of this documentation is appropriate to convey it’s official context.
Standard Australian English CBE
In a formal apology in February 2024, Premier Jacinta Allen employs Standard Australian English and
addresses Victorians who experienced historical abuse and neglect in institutional care, stating:
“From 1928 to 1990, thousands of children were entrusted to the state, religious organisations and
charitable agencies.” The front focus on the adverbial phrase “From 1928 to 1990” underscores the
timeframe when the abuse and neglect occurred. The initial focus frames the agentless passive
“thousands of children were entrusted” upholds the negative face needs of the victims by not
referencing the perpetrators of the suffering caused. This reflects the clearly planned and crafted
nature of the apology. This is expected of Jacinta Allen, reflecting her authority and identity as a Premier and
meets the social expectations of a serious and significant apology at the Legislative Assembly.
Non-Standard varieties
- “A non-Standard dialect is as valid a communication system as the Standard.” (Burridge)
- “The value of a low prestige variety for solidarity and identification with a group can often outweigh considerations of prestige, status or social advancement” (Ryan)
- “Aboriginal English is one of the many recognised dialects of [Australian] English. It stands with others as a legitimate communication system for its speakers” (Hawkins)
Broad Australian English quick example
Australian Aboriginal Englishes CBE
In an interview for ABC’s Radio National (August 2021), Pedro Wonaeamirri states “Winnin’ de award for dis year
make me feel bery proud an’ ‘appy and strong” when discussing how he feels about being the winner
of the NATSIAA award for Indigenous art. Here, sound substitution of the ‘d’ phoneme rather than
the ‘th’ phoneme in the determiners “the” and “this” are employed. Similarly, sound substitution
such as the ‘n’ phoneme instead of ‘ng’ in the verb “winnin’” and the ‘b’ phoneme instead of the ‘v’
phoneme in the adverb “very” are also used. This is a common characteristic of Aboriginal Australian
Englishes. Wonaeamirri is able to express his identity as a proud Indigenous Australian man.
Language and Identity quotations
- “More than anything else, language shows we belong, providing the most natural badge or symbol of public and private identity” (Crystal)
- “Members of a social group draw personal strength and pride from using the same language” (Kramsch)
- “Aboriginal English plays an important role in the maintenance and assertion of Aboriginal identity. Aboriginal people have a long used language as markers of group identity” (Diana Eades)
Ethnolects quotations
“of all the markers of identity, language is by far the most significant” (Bruce Moore)
“Language is a dynamic symbol of identity and culture” (Felicity Cox)
“Ethnicity is an important part of social identity and something that people want to demonstrate through their use of language” (Burridge and Mulder)
Ethnolects CBE
In May 2024, as part of her work with OAM, Sudanese Australian lawyer and human rights advocate,
Nyadol Nyuon OAM spoke about the importance of education, revealing her social identity and
ethnic group membership. Nyuon employs sound substitution with the phoneme ‘s’ instead of ‘sh’ in
nouns such as “education”, “situation” and “shows”. Determiners such as “the” and “a” are ellipted in
“as member of South Sudanese community”. These features of Sudanese Australian English reflect
how “… every social group has it’s own linguistic bonding mechanism” (David Crystal). Despite
negative attitudes towards some ethnolects, they are essential in reflecting the cultural communities’
identities (such as the South Sudanese community) in Australia, contributing to the richness of
modern Australian English and society.
Ethnolects CBE personal example
Teenspeak/Youth Language quotations
- “… youth have always used language as a code, a way of excluding others” (McCrindle)
- “… teenagers are amazing linguistic innovators” (McCrindle)
- Teenspeak is “rich and vibrant and full of creativity of the people who use it” (Prof Anne Curzan)
Teenspeak quick example
Digital Discourse quotations
- The changing, informal conventions of social media writing are an “expansion of young people’s linguistic repertoire” (John McWhorter)
- Digitally-mediated discourse provides opportunities for “an ongoing performance of identity” (Zappavigna, UNSW)
- “Texting has added a new dimension to language use” (Crystal)
Digital Discourse quick examples
Slang quotations
- “The use of slang is a means of marking social or linguistic identity” (Crystal)
- “Slang is a response to a need to be innovative” (Sue Butler)
- “Australians are renowned for their colloquial creativity.”[and their “colourful compounds”] (Peter Collins)
