Some Elements of Australian Speech: Vowel Sounds

Abstract

The increasing use of English as a means of global communication, often between non-native speakers, has led to wider exposure to, and awareness of, different varieties and accents of English. In this paper, the author, an Australian native speaker teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Thailand, attempts to highlight some of the features of Australian pronunciation which distinguish it from other varieties. In particular, it is contrasted with the British "prestige" variety Received Pronunciation (RP). The emphasis in the paper is on vowel sounds since these are often the elements of Australian pronunciation most easily distinguishable to the listener.