English in Australia

doi:10.1017/9781009748148.015

11 - English in Australia

from II.I Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 April 2026

Kate Burridge and

Pam Peters

General editor

Raymond Hickey

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Raymond Hickey: Affiliation:
University of Limerick

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Summary

Australia has a comparatively recent history of European settlement and English language development. Yet, it is already quite distinct. The different mixes of original dialects that came in during the early years, as well as the physical separation from other English-speaking regions, have allowed this distinctiveness to flourish. Regional variation within Australian English is still minor compared to other varieties, although local differences have been increasing. Contact with languages other than English has also been adding to the complex multilinguistic reality that is modern-day Australia. Recent years mark the rise of new multicultural identities for Australian English speakers in the form of migrant ethnolects and varieties of Aboriginal English. Such ethnically marked ways of speaking are no longer the consequence of second language learning but relate to attitudes around identity and cultural heritage.

Keywords

AustralianEnglish koinéization accommodation AboriginalEnglish ethnolects Americanization colloquialization linguisticnorms codification publishing regionalvariation

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Type: Chapter
Information: The New Cambridge History of the English Language
Africa, Asia, Australasia and the Pacific
, pp. 297 - 325

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009748148.015 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2026

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