Adelaide English: Regional Variation in Australian English Phonology

Abstract

This thesis seeks to determine the major characteristics in phonology of the Adelaide English when measured against some of the other regional varieties of the Australian English language. Furthermore, the settlement history of South Australia is examined and an integral link between the settlement and the sound features of the Adelaide English variety is analysed. The existence of regional varieties in the Australian phonology has long been debated. Increasingly, research has shown strong evidence that phonetic variation within Australia is prevalent, the Adelaide English variety of South Australia being a highly distinctive one. The Adelaide variety has been proven to hold numerous phonetic features characteristic of the region. The variety represents speakers that have the highest frequency of using the vowel form /a/ and thereby also those who speak cultivated English, resembling the Received Pronunciation (RP) of British English. Accordingly, the "prestigious" Adelaide variety is closely connected to the aristocratic settlement history of South Australia. Scholarly sources were collected and a study on regional variation was carried out in order to determine the viewpoint that society has on the regional phonetic difference in Australia. A test pool of 30 participants from Adelaide, South Australia and 30 participants from Melbourne, Victoria was used during the course of this study. Vast majority of the total number of participants claimed that they acknowledged the existence of regional variation within the Australian English language. Many in the Adelaide group claimed that people from other states were able to detect their accent when travelling interstate and additionally, many from the same group had even been asked if they were from England. Increased research on language development in Australia indicates that, although small, regional phonetic difference is growing. However, extensive investigation on the matter has been defective and is required in order to measure any findings that already have and may occur in the future.