LL-L "Language varieties" 2002.10.20 (04) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 20.OCT.2002 (04) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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 A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
 L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic
               V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
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From: Andrys Onsman <Andrys.Onsman at CeLTS.monash.edu.au>
Subject: LL-L "Language varieties" 2002.10.20 (02) [|E]

Howyagoing?

Having lived in the far south (ie Hobart, Tasmania) and worked in the
far north (ie Darwin and the Tiwi Islands) for some 35 years, and been
to most places in between, I am yet to hear anyone pronounce good-day as
g'die, or late as lite!

Whilst some regional variation is undoubtedly happening (Tasmanians tend
to end their sentences with though, New South Welshfolk with but and
Queenslanders and Territorians with eh. As in "Nice day, though/but/eh";
Whether you call luncheon meat Belgium, Fritz or Strasbourg "Straz" will
identify you as Tasmanian, South Australian or Victorian) the notion
that a person can be placed by accent seems somewhat tenuous. The most
fascinating aspect to me is the development of a (self-referencing)
neutral Australian accent (a national version Standard Australian
English). Broad Australian is often spoken naturally in the bush and
affectedly in the cities. Like Christoir, I'm not sure that it's related
to class.

Best,
Andrys

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Language varieties

Andrys, Christoir, Lowlanders,

OK, so I concede regarding "class," admitting that most of my knowledge is
dated.  I understand that meanwhile genuine "broad" Australian is fading
away in urban communities.  It would be interesting to know if Christoir
found this to be so in Western Australia as well, because in "my" time I
felt that there was a range of ...lects within the greater Perth area and
the Southwest in general (Bunbury, Albany, Kalgoorlie).  However,
considerable urban growth and a lot of influx from the East Coast (and
abroad) may have changed that linguistic landscape.

What I find particularly fascinating is the topic of outsiders' vs.
speakers' perception of phonology, especially in the case of Australia.
Abroad, Australian pronunciation of "day," "tail" and "late" tends to be
perceived as "die," "tile" and "light" (i.e., to the ear of someone with
little exposure to Australian speech).  However, Australians tend to swear
up and down that that is completely wrong, that all that is nonsense.  I
believe that this is because it is an issue of "mapping."  The speaker and
the experienced listener are aware of the difference of phonetic output,
e.g., the minimal pair "day" and "die."  Inexperienced listeners, however,
such as most Americans, tend to perceive the Australian pronunciation of
"day" as "die" and of "die" as "doy."  None of them is "correct," and this
analysis seems absurd to Australians, but it has something to do with the
listener allocating a foreign sound (or sound sequence) to the perceptively
closest native sound (or sound sequence).  With sustained exposure, the
listener adjusts his or her perception, usually very soon.  At least this is
what I think.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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