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Beyond the Cringe |
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Presenter Melvyn Bragg
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In the 1950s of premier Robert Menzies, the approved sound of Australian English was more Westminster than Woolloomooloo. These were the last days of the so-called "colonial cringe", before the assertion of Australia's place as an independent nation with an independent voice. But since the 1970s, 'Australian' has become a recognised and valued variety of the English language. Melvyn Bragg traces the linguistic trail from convicts to Crocodile Dundee and national self-confidence.
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Celebrations on the centenary of Australia's nationhood
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Until recently the "colonial cringe", a linguistic deference to the English of Britain, held back the development of Australian English. It finally found it's own identity only a generation ago. "Broad Australian", popular in the Bush or outback, is an early example of Australia's emerging identity. Its main feature is stretching of the vowel sounds; in fact this an important aspect of all Australian English. |
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Botany Bay
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Botany Bay was the beach head that allowed James Cook to investigate the local rich environment. The settlers that followed him had to face many problems. Communication between them and the native population was first limited to gifts and body language. Language barriers were difficult to surmount because there were some 250 native languages, all completely different from each other. |
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Sydney harbour bridge
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The oldest corner of Sydney, called the 'Rocks', is close to where the first convicts arrived. The early settlers adopted native words for unique features in Australia, but even then native influence was slight.
Later on, they referred back to their own British heritage and used English names for animals and plants, even though it wasn't accurate. These words have since been replaced.
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Historical re-enactment during centenary celebrations
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Early Australian English came mainly from southern Britain with the transported convicts. Some of their terms have survived into the colloquial language, e.g. 'digger' and 'fair dinkum' and 'bloody'. Jim Smith is a poet whose work celebrated these rich working class words.
Although now celebrated this type of speaking used to be frowned upon and viewed as inferior. It led to linguistic tensions in society, and in particular those who were born in Australia and those who came over later from Britain - 'currency' as opposed to 'sterling'. |
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Soldiers celebrating on
ANZAC Day
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In the early 1970's there was a radical change in the self concept of Australia. No longer a colonial outpost but a vibrant multicultural country in its own right. Significantly, in 1976 the first dictionary was published in Australia. A wave of cultural nationalism swept the country.
'Ocker' is Australian vernacular that in some ways resembles cockney slang with its rhyming phrases. It's particularly popular among young men and was much in evidence among soldiers on ANZAC Day.
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Susan Butler, executive editor of the Macquarrie dictionary
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'Australian Questioning Intonation', or 'upspeak', is a form of dialect where the sentences end in a questioning intonation. Studies show that it is more common among women and the working class. At first it was viewed as a sign of powerlessness by the speakers but it's now seen as much more complex with a number of factors at play.
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Australian school children |
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One of the best ways to see how a language is developing is to listen to its children talking. Real nursery talk. Are they speaking Australian or English? Do they speak other languages?
American English has had some effect through the media, such as films and TV shows, but not to any great extent. The country appears secure in its cultural identity.
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