English is the official language of many countries. This means there are many different types of English, like the British, the American, and the Australian. All of which have their own idioms and vocabulary.
Now let’s add to that mix the fact that every country has different accents and dialects within it. Uff! Now everything got a little bit trickier, right? What if you wanted to travel to the land of kangaroos? Will you have to learn all their accents now?
Well, don’t worry. First off, English speakers can still understand each other, no matter where they’re from. After all, they speak one same language, even if with some differences. Second, is it your wish to surf in one of the beautiful Australian beaches, watch the kangaroos and koalas, and visit the Sydney Opera House?
Or do you want to live in Australia? Or just learn Australian English? We’re here to help!
Welcome to Fluency Corp’s types of Australian accents guide, where you’ll learn some of the different accents and dialects from this country. So you can fully understand Australians and pick the accent you’d like to speak with.
Accent or Dialect?
One language can have many different dialects. One dialect has specific attributes or characteristics regarding vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. Accents are just the sounds when speaking a language; basically, the pronunciation. So, one dialect can have different accents.
In that sense, we can say Australian English is a dialect of the English language. And, at the same time, Australian English has different accents.
Australian Accents
Lucky for you, Australia doesn’t have tons of different regional accents, like other countries. So, you won’t get too confused. Nonetheless, they do have some differences in their accents, but they’re more associated with class than region.
Though there are different sounds and pronunciations, Australian accents are mainly classified as broad, general and cultivated accents.
Broad Australian Accent
This is the Australian accent that most foreigners know and perceive as the Australian English. Despite this, it’s not the most popular accent in Australia. It is linked to the working class.
This accent sounds more nasal than the others, its diphthongs are longer, and its speech pattern it’s slower. It’s also the strongest of these three accents.
A good example with words is the diphthong “ai” sounding more like “oi” in words like “wife” when spoken in a broad accent.
The famous Steve Irwin is a great example of a broad accent. So, if you want to learn this, you could check out some of his interviews or videos on YouTube.
General Australian Accent
This is like the middle ground between the broad and the cultivated accents. It’s very used in Australia’s media, as it’s the standard Australian accent for that business. And it’s the most popular and most spoken accent in Australia. So, if you learn this accent, you have more chances to understand and be understood all around Australia.
When speaking with this accent, you must consider that the letter “t” it’s pronounced more like a “d”, because its sound is soft. In terms of the letter “r”, if this one is positioned in the last syllable of a word, it’s usually not pronounced.
Hugh Jackman is a popular example of this accent. So if you want to acquire this accent naturally, you can watch the tons of interviews he’s given.
Cultivated Australian Accent
Beware of this accent, as it sounds a lot like the Received Pronunciation British accent. This accent is associated with prestige.
You’ll notice that in this accent the length of the vowels is shorter or tighter.
In a cultivated accent, the diphthong in words like “wife” is going to sound more like “ai”, which for some could sound clearer. This is the contrary case of the broad accent.
Now, when speaking with a cultivated Australian English, the “t” is pronounced stronger and sharper than in the general accent.
It’s also less nasal than compared, for example, to the broad accent.
Cate Blanchett is a good example of this accent. Check her interviews to try and learn a cultivated Australian pronunciation.
Choose Your Australian Accent
After giving it much thought, you’re sure you want to learn Australian English? Awesome! But now you might also want to think about the Australian accent you want to speak with.
You must know Australian accents are not very “strict” or rigid, the accent classification is more like a range. Think of a chromatic circle with all its tones, shades and nuances. You can casually pass from a dark green to a light green.
It’s like that with these accents. Australian English is one, but there are still nuances in the form of the accents we told you above. So, even if Australian English doesn’t sound too different in itself, you might still have some preferences for a type of Australian accent.
Here are some things you can take into account when choosing which accent you prefer to speak with:
Popularity
This is an important one. If you want to be understood in Australia in general and understand everyone or almost everyone, you might want to choose a popular accent. That would be the general accent, which is spoken by most Australians. Its popularity keeps increasing with time.
The biggest advantage of this is that you could travel to any region and speak to any person, and they’ll understand you. You’ll be able to have super fluent conversations with them. How cool!
Formality of your reasons to learn
If you’re learning Australian English for a specific formal reason, you can also base your decision on that. If your reason truly is something too formal, you might prefer a prestigious, formal accent, which people associate with high education. A good choice for this would be the cultivated accent.
If your reason is not that formal, you can just pick another one of the accents. For example, if your reason is to be understood by international media, you might want to learn the broad accent. Because it’s the one foreign people know as the Australian accent.
Whichever you like the most
Yes, it’s this simple. Maybe you don’t have a more important or stronger reason why you want to learn Australian English other than you like it. In that case, you can simply choose your accent based on which one you like the most. Let’s be honest, when speaking you’ll clearly prefer to sound like the accent you like the most.
Maybe you love the strong sound of the broad accent. Or maybe you like how distinguished the cultivated accent is. There’s no wrong choice here. Accent likeability is very subjective, we all have our preferences, so it’s up to you and only you.
Practice Your Accent
Remember that no matter which Australian accent you speak, they’re all a good choice. That being said, you might want to speak a particular one, so here are some tips to practice your accent:
- We just saw that vowels and diphthongs are super important for Australian accents. So, put especially emphasis in practicing how to pronounce the vowels and diphthongs based on your chosen accent. That might mean, you’ll need to learn different tips, like how to move your mouth when speaking.
- We also read above that some letters are more pronounced in some accents than in others. So pay good attention to the way you say the letters based on your accent. You don’t want to overpronounce or under pronounce a letter and end up sounding different than how you wanted.
- Watch your favorite Australian celebrities speak. We gave you some examples above of some celebrities that speak with your favorite accent. You can look for others. Watch their interviews over and over again and listen closely to them. If you find it difficult, you can even slow down the speed of the videos to understand and hear the details on their pronunciations. You can also watch Australian movies to acquire the accent and even some vocabulary.
- Speak, speak, speak. At first you might feel like you’re not doing it right. That’s normal. Acquiring an accent is a process. Keep trying to speak as much as possible with your chosen accent. Practice makes perfect.
Choose Your Perfect Instructor to Sound Like a True Australian
Now you know Australian English is the type of English you want to learn. And you’ve finally decided on your accent.
Congrats! Now it’s time for the instructor. You need to choose a teacher that truly cares about your language needs, wishes and goals. Someone that is committed to your language learning journey. And someone that will speak to you in your target language, so you truly learn.
Good news! By choosing Fluency Corp as your school, you’ll be choosing that type of instructor. Because we care about you, our teachers are highly experienced and native speakers of your target language. So you’ll fully improve in all the areas of the language and will learn how natives truly speak.
Plus, this is the best news for your accent training, because by hearing a native speaker, you’ll learn the best pronunciation.
Our teachers will also create a plan based on your language needs, goals and even your job. So you can impress your fellow Australian coworkers or business partners.
Want more? Okay. Our classes aren’t just for you. If for some reason you have an employee or various employees that need corporate language classes, we’re here for all of you. By investing in your workers’ language skills, you’re also investing in your company’s growth.
