Editing Australian English (section)

==Phonology and pronunciation==
{{Main|Australian English phonology}}
The most obvious way in which Australian English is distinctive from other varieties of English is through its unique pronunciation. It shares most similarity with [[New Zealand English]].<ref>Trudgill, Peter and Jean Hannah. (2002). ''International English: A Guide to the Varieties of Standard English'', 4th ed. London: Arnold. {{ISBN|0-340-80834-9}}, p. 4.</ref> Like most dialects of English, it is distinguished primarily by the phonetic quality of its vowels.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Harrington | first1 = J. |last2 = Cox | first2=F. |last3= Evans | first3 = Z. |name-list-style=amp |title=An acoustic phonetic study of broad, general, and cultivated Australian English vowels |journal=Australian Journal of Linguistics |year=1997 |volume=17 |pages=155–84 |doi=10.1080/07268609708599550 |issue = 2 }}</ref>

===Vowels===
[[File:Australian English vowel chart.svg|thumb|right|Australian English monophthongs<ref name="coxflet2017">{{citation |last1=Cox |first1=Felicity|last2=Fletcher|first2=Janet |year=2017|orig-year=First published 2012 |title=Australian English Pronunciation and Transcription |edition=2nd |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-316-63926-9 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ZBs3DwAAQBAJ }}</ref>]]
[[File:Australian English diphthong chart - part 1.svg|thumb|right|Part 1 of Australian English diphthongs<ref name="coxflet2017" />]]
[[File:Australian English diphthong chart - part 2.svg|thumb|right|Part 2 of Australian English diphthongs<ref name="coxflet2017" />]]

The vowels of Australian English can be divided according to length. The long vowels, which include [[monophthong]]s and [[diphthong]]s, mostly correspond to the [[tense vowel]]s used in analyses of [[Received Pronunciation]] (RP) as well as its centring diphthongs. The short vowels, consisting only of monophthongs, correspond to the RP lax vowels.

There exist pairs of long and short vowels with overlapping vowel quality giving Australian English [[vowel length|phonemic length distinction]], which is also present in some regional south-eastern dialects of the UK and eastern seaboard dialects in the US.<ref>{{cite web|first=Robert| last=Mannell |url=http://clas.mq.edu.au/speech/phonetics/phonetics/ausenglish/impressionistic.html |title=Australian English – Impressionistic Phonetic Studies |publisher=Clas.mq.edu.au|date=14 August 2009|access-date=26 July 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110706114743/http://clas.mq.edu.au/speech/phonetics/phonetics/ausenglish/impressionistic.html| archive-date= 6 July 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref> An example of this feature is the distinction between ''ferry'' {{IPA|/ˈfeɹiː/}} and ''fairy'' {{IPA|/ˈfeːɹiː/}}.

As with New Zealand English and General American English, the [[weak-vowel merger]] is complete in Australian English: unstressed {{IPA|/ɪ/}} is merged into {{IPA|/ə/}} ([[schwa]]), unless it is followed by a velar consonant. Examples of this feature are the following pairings, which are pronounced identically in Australian English: ''Rosa's'' and ''roses'', as well as ''Lennon'' and ''Lenin''. Other examples are the following pairs, which rhyme in Australian English: ''abbott'' with ''rabbit'', and ''dig it'' with ''bigot''.

Most varieties of Australian English exhibit only a partial [[trap-bath split]]. The words ''bath'', ''grass'' and ''can't'' are always pronounced with the "long" {{IPA|/ɐː/}} of ''father''. Throughout the majority of the country, the "flat" {{IPA|/æ/}} of ''man'' is the dominant pronunciation for the ''a'' vowel in the following words: ''dance'', ''advance'', ''plant'', ''example'' and ''answer''. The exception is the state of [[South Australia]], where a more advanced trap-bath split is found, and where the dominant pronunciation of all the preceding words incorporates the "long" {{IPA|/ɐː/}} of ''father''.

{|class=wikitable
|-
! colspan="4" |monophthongs
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |diphthongs
|-
! colspan="2" |short vowels
! colspan="2" |long vowels
|-
! valign="top" align="center" |IPA
!examples
! valign="top" align="center" |IPA
!examples
! valign="top" align="center" |IPA
!examples
|-
|{{IPA|ʊ}}
|''f'''oo'''t'', ''h'''oo'''d'', ''ch'''oo'''k''
|ʉː<ref group="nb">The vowel /ʉː/ is diphthongised in all the major Australian accents; in General Australian, the most widespread Australian accent, the vowel is pronounced as [ɪ̈ɯ]. See [[Australian English phonology]] for a more detailed analysis.</ref>
|''g'''oo'''se'', ''b'''oo''''', ''wh'''o''''d''
|{{IPA|ɪə}}
|''n'''ear''''', ''b'''ear'''d'', ''h'''ear'''''<ref group="nb">The boundary between monophthongs and diphthongs is somewhat fluid: {{IPA|/ɪə/}}, for example, is commonly realised as {{IPA|[ɪː]}}, particularly in closed syllables, though also found in open syllables such as ''we're'', ''here'', and so on. In open syllables particularly, the pronunciation varies from the bisyllabic {{IPA|[ɪːa]}}, through the diphthong {{IPA|[ɪə]}}, to the long vowel {{IPA|[ɪː]}}.</ref>
|-
|ɪ
|''k'''i'''t'', ''b'''i'''d'', ''h'''i'''d'',
|{{IPA|iː}}<ref group="nb">The vowel /iː/ has an onset [ɪi̯], except before laterals. The onset is often lowered to [əi], so that "beat" is [bəit] for some speakers.</ref>
|''fl'''ee'''ce'', ''b'''ea'''d'', ''h'''ea'''t''
|{{IPA|æɔ}}
|''m'''ou'''th'', ''b'''owe'''d'', ''h'''ow'<nowiki/>'''d''
|-
|e/ɛ
|''dr'''e'''ss'', ''l'''e'''d'', ''h'''ea'''d''
|{{IPA|eː}}/ɛː
|''squ'''are''''', ''b'''are'''d'', ''h'''aire'''d''
|{{IPA|əʉ}}
|''g'''oa'''t'', ''b'''o'''d'''e''''', ''h'''oe'''d''
|-
|ə
|''comm'''a''''', '''''a'''bout'', ''wint'''er'''''
|{{IPA|ɜː}}
|''n'''ur'''se'', ''b'''ir'''d'', ''h'''ear'''d''
|{{IPA|æɪ}}
|''f'''a'''ce'', ''b'''ai'''t'', ''m'''a'''de''
|-
|{{IPA|æ}}
|''tr'''a'''p'', ''l'''a'''d'', ''h'''a'''d''
|æː
|b'''a'''d, s'''a'''d, m'''a'''d
|{{IPA|ɑe}}
|''pr'''i'''ce'', ''b'''i'''te'', ''h'''i'''de''
|-
|{{IPA|ɐ}}
|''str'''u'''t'', ''b'''u'''d'', ''h'''u'''d''
|{{IPA|ɐː}}
|''st'''ar'''t'', ''p'''al'''m'', ''b'''a'''th''
|{{IPA|oɪ}}
|''ch'''oi'''ce'', ''b'''oy''''', '''''oi'''l''
|-
|{{IPA|ɔ}}
|''l'''o'''t'', ''cl'''o'''th'', ''h'''o'''t''
|oː
|''th'''ou'''ght'', ''n'''or'''th'', ''f'''or'''ce''
|
|
|-
| colspan="6" |{{reflist|group=nb}}
|}

===Consonants===
There is little variation in the sets of [[consonant]]s used in different English dialects but there are variations in how these consonants are used. Australian English is no exception.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
|+ Australian English consonant phonemes{{sfnp|Cox|Palethorpe|2007|p=343}}
! colspan="2" |
! [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! [[Interdental consonant|Dental]]
! [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! [[Postalveolar consonant|Post-<br />alveolar]]
! [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| {{IPA link|m}}
|
| {{IPA link|n}}
|
|
| {{IPA link|ŋ}}
|
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Stop consonant|Plosive]]
! {{small|[[fortis consonant|fortis]]}}
| {{IPA link|p}}
|
| {{IPA link|t}}
| 
|
| {{IPA link|k}}
|
|-
! {{small|[[lenis consonant|lenis]]}}
| {{IPA link|b}}
|
| {{IPA link|d}}
|
|
| {{IPA link|ɡ}}
|
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Affricate consonant|Affricate]]
! {{small|[[fortis consonant|fortis]]}}
|
|
|
| {{IPA link|tʃ}}
|
|
|
|-
! {{small|[[lenis consonant|lenis]]}}
|
|
|
| {{IPA link|dʒ}}
|
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
! {{small|[[fortis consonant|fortis]]}}
| {{IPA link|f}}
| {{IPA link|θ}}
| {{IPA link|s}}
| {{IPA link|ʃ}}
|
|
| {{IPA link|h}}
|-
! {{small|[[lenis consonant|lenis]]}}
| {{IPA link|v}}
| {{IPA link|ð}}
| {{IPA link|z}}
| {{IPA link|ʒ}}
|
|
| 
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
! {{small|[[Central consonant|central]]}}
|
|
| {{IPA link|ɹ}}
|
| {{IPA link|j}}
| {{IPA link|w}}
|
|-
! {{small|[[Lateral consonant|lateral]]}}
|
|
| {{IPA link|l}}
|
|
|
|
|}

Australian English is uniformly [[Rhoticity in English|non-rhotic]]; that is, the {{IPA|/ɹ/}} sound does not appear at the end of a syllable or immediately before a consonant.<ref name=":0" /> As with many non-rhotic dialects, [[Linking R|linking {{IPA|/ɹ/|cat=no}}]] can occur when a word that has a final {{angbr|r}} in the spelling comes before another word that starts with a vowel. An [[Linking and intrusive R#Intrusive R|intrusive {{IPA|/ɹ/|cat=no}}]] may similarly be inserted before a vowel in words that do not have {{angbr|r}} in the spelling in certain environments, namely after the long vowel {{IPA|/oː/}} and after word final {{IPA|/ə/}}. This can be heard in "law-r-and order", where an intrusive R is voiced between the AW and the A.

As with North American English, [[intervocalic alveolar flapping]] is a feature of Australian English: prevocalic {{IPA|/t/}} and {{IPA|/d/}} surface as the [[alveolar tap]] {{IPA|[ɾ]}} after [[sonorant]]s other than {{IPA|/m, ŋ/}} as well as at the end of a word or morpheme before any vowel in the same breath group. Examples of this feature are that the following pairs are pronounced similarly or identically: ''latter'' and ''ladder'', as well as ''rated'' and ''raided''.

[[English consonant-cluster reductions#Yod-dropping|''Yod''-dropping]] generally occurs after {{IPA|/s/}}, {{IPA|/l/}}, {{IPA|/z/}}, {{IPA|/θ/}} but not after {{IPA|/t/}}, {{IPA|/d/}} and {{IPA|/n/}}.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Filppula |first1=Markku |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qdk-DgAAQBAJ |title=The Oxford Handbook of World Englishes |last2=Klemola |first2=Juhani |last3=Sharma |first3=Devyani |date=2017-02-14 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-067144-0 |pages=412 |language=en}}</ref> Accordingly, ''suit'' is pronounced as {{IPA|/sʉːt/}}, ''lute'' as {{IPA|/lʉːt/}}, ''Zeus'' as {{IPA|/zʉːs/}} and ''enthusiasm'' as {{IPA|/enˈθʉːziːæzəm/}}. Other cases of {{IPA|/sj/}} and {{IPA|/zj/}}, as well as {{IPA|/tj/}} and {{IPA|/dj/}}, have [[English consonant-cluster reductions#Yod-coalescence|coalesced]] to {{IPA|/ʃ/}}, {{IPA|/ʒ/}}, {{IPA|/tʃ/}} and {{IPA|/dʒ/}} respectively for many speakers. {{IPA|/j/}} is generally retained in other [[consonant cluster]]s.{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}

In common with most varieties of [[Scottish English]] and [[American English]], the phoneme {{IPA|/l/}} is pronounced by Australians as a "dark" (velarised) ''l'' ({{IPA|[ɫ]}}) in almost all positions, unlike other dialects such as [[Received Pronunciation]], [[Hiberno-English|Hiberno (Irish) English]], etc.

===Pronunciation===
Differences in stress, weak forms and standard pronunciation of isolated words occur between Australian English and other forms of English, which while noticeable do not impair intelligibility.

The affixes ''-ary'', ''-ery'', ''-ory'', ''-bury'', ''-berry'' and ''-mony'' (seen in words such as ''necessary, mulberry'' and ''matrimony'') can be pronounced either with a full vowel ({{IPA|/ˈnesəseɹiː, ˈmalbeɹiː, ˈmætɹəməʉniː/}}) or a schwa  ({{IPA|/ˈnesəsəɹiː, ˈmalbəɹiː, ˈmætɹəməniː/}}). Although some words like ''necessary'' are almost universally pronounced with the full vowel, older generations of Australians are relatively likely to pronounce these affixes with a schwa as is typical in British English. Meanwhile, younger generations are relatively likely to use a full vowel.

Words ending in unstressed ''-ile'' derived from Latin adjectives ending in ''-ilis'' are pronounced with a full vowel, so that ''fertile'' {{IPA|/ˈfɜːtɑel/}} sounds like ''fur tile'' rather than rhyming with ''turtle'' {{IPA|/ˈtɜːtəl/}}.

In addition, miscellaneous pronunciation differences exist when compared with other varieties of English in relation to various isolated words, with some of those pronunciations being unique to Australian English. For example:
* As with American English, the vowel in ''yoghurt'' {{IPA|/ˈjəʉɡət/}} and the prefix ''homo-'' {{IPA|/ˈhəʉməʉ/}} (as in ''homosexual'' or ''homophobic'') are pronounced with {{sc2|GOAT}} rather than {{sc2|LOT}};
* ''Vitamin'', ''migraine'' and ''privacy'' are all pronounced with {{IPA|/ɑe/}} in the stressed syllable ({{IPA|/ˈvɑetəmən, ˈmɑeɡɹæɪn, ˈpɹɑevəsiː/}}) rather than {{IPA|/ˈvɪtəmən, ˈmiːɡɹæɪn, ˈpɹɪvəsiː/}};
* ''Dynasty'' and ''patronise'', by contrast, are usually subject to [[trisyllabic laxing]] ({{IPA|/ˈdɪnəstiː, ˈpætɹɔnɑez/}}) like in Britain, alongside US-derived {{IPA|/ˈdɑenəstiː, ˈpæɪtɹɔnɑez/}};
* The prefix ''paedo-'' (as in ''paedophile'') is pronounced {{IPA|/ˈpedəʉ/}} rather than {{IPA|/ˈpiːdəʉ/}};
* In loanwords, the vowel spelled with {{angbr|a}} is often nativized as the {{sc2|PALM}} vowel ({{IPA|/ɐː/}}), similar to American English ({{IPA|/ɑː/}}), rather than the {{sc2|TRAP}} vowel ({{IPA|/æ/}}), as in British English. For example, ''pasta'' is pronounced {{IPA|/ˈpɐːstə/}}, analogous to American English {{IPA|/ˈpɑstə/}}, rather than {{IPA|/ˈpæstə/}}, as in British English.
* ''Urinal'' is stressed on the first syllable and with the [[schwa]] for ''I'': {{IPA|/ˈjʉːɹənəl/}};
* ''Harass'' and ''harassment'' are pronounced with the stress on the second, rather than the first syllable;
* The suffix ''-sia'' (as in ''[[Malaysia]]'', ''[[Indonesia]]'' and ''[[Polynesia]]'', but not ''[[Tunisia]]'') is pronounced {{IPA|/-⁠ʒə/}} rather than {{IPA|/-ziːə/}};
* The word ''foyer'' is pronounced {{IPA|/ˈfoɪə/}}, rather than {{IPA|/ˈfoɪæɪ/}};
* ''Tomato'', ''vase'' and ''data'' are pronounced with {{IPA|/ɐː/}} instead of {{IPA|/æɪ/}}: {{IPA|/təˈmɐːtəʉ, vɐːz, ˈdɐːtə/}}, with {{IPA|/ˈdæɪtə/}} being uncommon but acceptable;
* ''Zebra'' and ''leisure'' are pronounced {{IPA|/ˈzebɹə/}} and {{IPA|/ˈleʒə/}} rather than {{IPA|/ˈziːbɹə/}} and {{IPA|/ˈliːʒə/}}, both having disyllabic laxing;
* ''Status'' varies between British-derived {{IPA|/ˈstæɪtəs/}} with the {{sc2|FACE}} vowel and American-derived {{IPA|/ˈstætəs/}} with the {{sc2|TRAP}} vowel;
* Conversely, ''precedence'', ''precedent'' and derivatives are mainly pronounced with the {{sc2|FLEECE}} vowel in the stressed syllable, rather than {{sc2|DRESS}}: {{IPA|/ˈpɹiːsədəns ~ pɹiːˈsiːdəns, ˈpɹiːsədənt/}};
* ''Basil'' is pronounced {{IPA|/ˈbæzəl/}}, rather than {{IPA|/ˈbæɪzəl/}};
* Conversely, ''cache'' is usually pronounced {{IPA|/kæɪʃ/}}, rather than the more conventional {{IPA|/kæʃ/}};
* ''Buoy'' is pronounced as {{IPA|/boɪ/}} (as in ''boy'') rather than {{IPA|/ˈbʉːiː/}};
* The ''E'' in ''congress'' and ''progress'' is not reduced: {{IPA|/ˈkɔnɡɹes, ˈpɹəʉɡɹes/}};
* Conversely, the unstressed ''O'' in ''silicon'', ''phenomenon'' and ''python'' stands for a schwa: {{IPA|/ˈsɪlɪkən, fəˈnɔmənən, ˈpɑeθən/}};
* In ''Amazon'', ''Lebanon'', ''marathon'' and ''pantheon'', however, the unstressed ''O'' stands for the {{sc2|LOT}} vowel, somewhat as with American English: {{IPA|/ˈæməzɔn, ˈlebənɔn, ˈmæɹəθɔn, ˈpænθæɪɔn/}};
* The colour name ''maroon'' is pronounced with the {{sc2|GOAT}} vowel: {{IPA|/məˈɹəʉn/}}.