Thursday, March 10, 2005, 09:48 GMT
Greetings!
I found this website earlier on and think it is fantastic! Its also very fitting considering some comments I have received and some observations I have made.
I moved from Adelaide to Melbourne about six weeks ago and I have had a lot of people ask me where I am from or have thought that I am a Kiwi! (not sure if it is because of my non-English speaking background but I seem to have a typical SA accent). I noticed some "accental" differences between South Australians and Victorians prior to moving here but have noticed more since moving over. I apologise if I write sounds sloppy, I'm not a trained linguist.
Apart from the obvious differences in words such as castle, plant and graph, Victorians tend to do something that I call "vowel swapping". It is doesn't seem to occur in other Australian states, it is characteristic to Victoria. What I mean by this is that "a's" become "e's", "e's become a's" and sometimes "e's become "i's". Coincidentally, a friend of mine who is from Adelaide that moved to Melb a few years before me said that she was familiar of this occurring and called it the same phrase quite independently of me.
For example, I've noticed that Victorians say:
(1) "epplication" instead of "application"; "belcony" instead of "balcony"; "elphabet" instead of "alphabet" (all with "e" as in "egg").
(2) "twalve" instead of "twelve"; "as wall" in instead of "as well"; "salary" instead of "celery" (all with "a" as in "alphabet").
(3) "Dendinong" instead of "Dandenong" - this might be because of "sloppy" pronunciation - not sure.
Example 1. I was able to pick out a Victorian behind a counter in a shop at Margaret River, WA on the basis of his speech, but in particular, on the use of the word of "balcony" in our conversation. I asked him if he was Victorian and he told me he was from Brunswick (suburb of Melb).
To my ears, there seems to be a running "a" tone in the Victorian tongue and seems to be more "twangy" but "drawly", whilst an SA speaker is a bit more rounded in speech and maybe even "clipped".
I think there are minor geographical differences in speech around Australia (eg kewl and schewl in NSW/Qld), but I think SA is the most different to other states. I don't think the differences are as wide as say between the regions of the USA.
I agree that "accents" (if you want to call it that) vary on the basis of socio-economic status and along the city-rural divide.
Example 2. My husband and I (my husband is also from SA) went to country Qld and ordered a sandwich from a busy place where people lined up for sandwiches. Many of those in the store jaws dropped when they heard us talk. Maybe to their ears we sounded "cultivated" or English even. I'm sure it had something to do with a city-SA accented person in a country Qld town.
THE SA ACCENT
In relation, to the non-Cockney English "SA accent", I've read a few of the posts from last year and some say it is due to the large influx of English migrants to Adelaide in the 1950's. This may have influenced the SA tongue to a certain extent. The settlement occurred in Elizabeth, a group of suburbs to the north of Adelaide (25-30km from CBD). However, I'm not sure if the changes in accent there would be strong enough to reach other parts of Adelaide and SA. For example, I'm sure the Burnside area of Adelaide may already sound English due to being a higher-socio economic area. Yet again, I know of someone who grew up in Elizabeth and who's father was English, yet her accent is one of the most broadest accents I have ever heard. If you take note of the fact that Elizabeth is a poor socio-economic area, then it might explain the broadness of her speech but doesn't take into account that she doesn't sound English at all. Still, that's me making a generalisation on the basis of me analysing one person from Elizabeth and maybe a misconception of linking accent broadness to socio-economic background.
I think everyone is forgetting that SA was a free-settled colony (and maybe from a different socio-economic background?) and that also quite a few German immigrants had settled as well. This may have a seminal influence on the "SA accent". However, I'm not sure how a German fusion would influence the accent.
Any thoughts re Victorian accent and SA accents? Love to hear from you.
Thanks
Frances
I found this website earlier on and think it is fantastic! Its also very fitting considering some comments I have received and some observations I have made.
I moved from Adelaide to Melbourne about six weeks ago and I have had a lot of people ask me where I am from or have thought that I am a Kiwi! (not sure if it is because of my non-English speaking background but I seem to have a typical SA accent). I noticed some "accental" differences between South Australians and Victorians prior to moving here but have noticed more since moving over. I apologise if I write sounds sloppy, I'm not a trained linguist.
Apart from the obvious differences in words such as castle, plant and graph, Victorians tend to do something that I call "vowel swapping". It is doesn't seem to occur in other Australian states, it is characteristic to Victoria. What I mean by this is that "a's" become "e's", "e's become a's" and sometimes "e's become "i's". Coincidentally, a friend of mine who is from Adelaide that moved to Melb a few years before me said that she was familiar of this occurring and called it the same phrase quite independently of me.
For example, I've noticed that Victorians say:
(1) "epplication" instead of "application"; "belcony" instead of "balcony"; "elphabet" instead of "alphabet" (all with "e" as in "egg").
(2) "twalve" instead of "twelve"; "as wall" in instead of "as well"; "salary" instead of "celery" (all with "a" as in "alphabet").
(3) "Dendinong" instead of "Dandenong" - this might be because of "sloppy" pronunciation - not sure.
Example 1. I was able to pick out a Victorian behind a counter in a shop at Margaret River, WA on the basis of his speech, but in particular, on the use of the word of "balcony" in our conversation. I asked him if he was Victorian and he told me he was from Brunswick (suburb of Melb).
To my ears, there seems to be a running "a" tone in the Victorian tongue and seems to be more "twangy" but "drawly", whilst an SA speaker is a bit more rounded in speech and maybe even "clipped".
I think there are minor geographical differences in speech around Australia (eg kewl and schewl in NSW/Qld), but I think SA is the most different to other states. I don't think the differences are as wide as say between the regions of the USA.
I agree that "accents" (if you want to call it that) vary on the basis of socio-economic status and along the city-rural divide.
Example 2. My husband and I (my husband is also from SA) went to country Qld and ordered a sandwich from a busy place where people lined up for sandwiches. Many of those in the store jaws dropped when they heard us talk. Maybe to their ears we sounded "cultivated" or English even. I'm sure it had something to do with a city-SA accented person in a country Qld town.
THE SA ACCENT
In relation, to the non-Cockney English "SA accent", I've read a few of the posts from last year and some say it is due to the large influx of English migrants to Adelaide in the 1950's. This may have influenced the SA tongue to a certain extent. The settlement occurred in Elizabeth, a group of suburbs to the north of Adelaide (25-30km from CBD). However, I'm not sure if the changes in accent there would be strong enough to reach other parts of Adelaide and SA. For example, I'm sure the Burnside area of Adelaide may already sound English due to being a higher-socio economic area. Yet again, I know of someone who grew up in Elizabeth and who's father was English, yet her accent is one of the most broadest accents I have ever heard. If you take note of the fact that Elizabeth is a poor socio-economic area, then it might explain the broadness of her speech but doesn't take into account that she doesn't sound English at all. Still, that's me making a generalisation on the basis of me analysing one person from Elizabeth and maybe a misconception of linking accent broadness to socio-economic background.
I think everyone is forgetting that SA was a free-settled colony (and maybe from a different socio-economic background?) and that also quite a few German immigrants had settled as well. This may have a seminal influence on the "SA accent". However, I'm not sure how a German fusion would influence the accent.
Any thoughts re Victorian accent and SA accents? Love to hear from you.
Thanks
Frances