Theme tags (optional)
- #formal-vs-informal
- #standard-vs-non-standard
- #social-purpose
- #identity
- #language-change
- #attitudes
- #prestige
- #social-harmony
- #taboo-and-euphemism
- #political-correctness
- #aboriginal-english
- #ethnolects
Example 1—Coalition senator accuses Labor’s Fatima Payman of ‘supporting terrorists’
- Context (who/where/when): A Coalition senator accused the Labor backbencher Fatima Payman of “supporting terrorists” and then withdrew the claim, just hours after the Senate passed a motion opposing “inflammatory and divisive comments”. (May 2024)
- Term: dysphemistic, positive face threatening, declarative, verb phrase
- Example/quote: "Hughes told Guardian Australia she said “you are supporting terrorists””
- Why: In May of 2024, the coalition senator, accused Labor’s Fatima Payman of the dysphemistic verb phrase “supporting terrorists” incorporating the plural negatively connoted noun “terrorists.” By merely associating Fatima Payman with the concept of terrorism and violence, the coalition senator achieves an instant damage towards the perception and character of Ms Payman. Thus, with a purpose to manipulate and obfuscate in the public eye, as well as use standard Australian English, broadcasted nationally, to formally succeed in a political battle.
→ This political discourse causes disagreement / establishes animosity
→ Conflict based statement with an intent to break Fatima Payman down to gain political support and votes
→ SAE with negative connotation used to damage the perception of someone in the public eye
→ Can be used for: ANY political prompt, formal language prompt, SAE prompt, manipulative/obfuscatory language prompt, euphemism/dysphemism prompt
→ “context affects our language” prompt
- Tags: #social-purpose, #face-needs, #attitudes, #identity, #political
Example 2 - Curtin University Organises Indigenous Language convention.
- Context (who/where/when): Curtin University Organises First-Of-Its-Kind language convention, surrounding Indigenous language. (25th of June 2024)
- Term: Exclamative AAE, subject-noun sentence fragment structure, colloquialism
- Example/quote: “You mob! Give them a chance!’: Aboriginal students translanguaging at school.” is a case study presented at this convention.
- Why:
In June, Curtin University’s Professor Dovchin makes use of declarative “By bringing together leading experts and emerging scholars, we can work towards innovative solutions that benefit communities worldwide,”. Professor Dovchin displays a conscious effort towards documenting, analysing and adapting to language change towards AAE. The next declarative Dovchin utters “This year’s focus on diversity, equity and inclusion reflects our dedication to ensuring all voices are valued in sociolinguistic research.” only further reinforces this notion. One of the case studies presented at this convention is the analysis of exclamative AAE with the subject-noun sentence fragment structure “You mob! Give them a chance!’. This displays Aboriginal students translanguaging at school.” The specific attention provided to understanding FNP communicating at school with AAE indicates a growing acceptance within the ever-expanding egalitarian boundaries of society. Simultaneously, the use of the colloquialism “mob” also seems to be finding its way into SAE. On the other hand, Curtin University could also be making an overt effort to meet the organisation’s positive face needs of being viewed as egalitarian and politically correct.
→ Such an example reflects contemporary incorporation of AAE into SAE.
→ Such an example reflects evolving attitudes towards AAE in Australia (in the media, schools, universities).
→ Curtin University can be equally considered to be making an overt effort to meet the organisation’s positive face needs of being viewed as egalitarian and politically correct.
→ Can be used for these types of prompts;
- Aboriginal English
- Language change
- Attitudes towards language
- Standard-non-standard
- Social purposes/functions that are related
- Formal/Informal
- Identity
- Tags: #aboriginal-english, #language-change, #standard-vs-non-standard, #social-purpose, #identity
Example 3 - Semantic patterning of rape in parliament.
- Context (who/where/when): The civil verdict on a 2021 case of rape, committed by Australian conservative staffer Bruce Lehrmann on his colleague Brittany Higgins in the office of a government minister in 2019, comes as a dramatic development in a scandal which rocked Australian politics.
- Term: Semantic patterning via metaphor, personification of Australian Politics, emotive language, declarative
- Example/quote: "Having escaped the lion's den Mr Lehrmann made the mistake of coming back for his hat," Lee said. “scandal which rocked Australian politics.” “staffer found to have committed rape in parliament”.
- Why: Le Monde uses figurative imagery through metaphors and personification in the declaratives “"Having escaped the lion's den Mr Lehrmann made the mistake of coming back for his hat," Lee said. and “scandal which rocked Australian politics.” This intentional use of emotive imagery on one hand, emphasises and visualises Mr Lehrmann’s accusations of rape, while producing a dramatic and captivating effect in order to gain traction towards the article. This display of semantic patterning has the power to alter public perception in favour of threatening negative face needs and Lehrmann’s identity integrity. It also aids in the overt disruption of social harmony, causing outrage at the horrid sexual activity. This example may also display a de-escalation and euphemistic approach to the otherwise dysphemistic declarative “staffer found to have committed rape in parliament”.
- Tags: #formal-vs-informal, #standard-vs-non-standard, #social-purpose, #identity
Example 4 - Politicians mis-using funds despite cost of living crisis
- Context (who/where/when): January 3rd, 2024, Politicians mis-using tax payer money to fund travel entitlements.
- Term: Financial and political jargon, irony of “flying high” being a metaphor regarding the spacial position of politicians chartering planes, Passive Voice “Politicians are caught misusing or abusing”, Adverbial Phrase “Acutely sensitive” describes the manner or degree of sensitivity.
- Example/quote: Titled “Flying high”, this section of the article outlines how Australians are “acutely sensitive to the price of petrol”. While “politicians are caught misusing or abusing their taxpayer-funded travel entitlements.”
- Why: This article makes use of financial and political jargon to establish their expertise in critiquing politicians surrounding their misconduct. This is combined with semantic metaphor “flying high” reminiscent of performing well, while serving as a double entendre for literally funding their air travel. Simultaneously, it serves as an overt juxtaposition to the average tax-paying citizen, idle on ground floor. The adverbial phrase “Acutely sensitive” which is highly formal in register and sophistication, viscerally describes the depth to the Australian struggle associated with costs of living.
- Tags: #taboo-and-euphemism, #formal-vs-informal, #standard-vs-non-standard, #social-purpose, #identity
Example 5 - “Wargaming” over Meta paying more tax in Australia
- Context (who/where/when): 25th June 2024, The assistant treasurer, Stephen Jones, is considering whether the Albanese government should use the powers under the news media bargaining code legislation to “designate” Meta under the code, which would force the tech company to enter negotiations for payment with news providers, or risk fines of 10% of its Australian revenue.
- Term: Colloquialism (video-game jargon), compounding
- Example/quote: “The Australian government has been wargaming scenarios if Meta pulled news from Facebook and Instagram”
- Why: The use of the colloquial compounding “wargaming” by The Guardian serves a referential and emotive function. Firstly, this type of colloquialism vividly clarifies the process of strategising surrounding the potential outcomes of taking on a conglomerate such as Meta for taxation purposes. Simultaneously, the violent connotations surrounding war fulfil an emotive function which compounds with the verb “gaming”, indicating a careless yet risky approach for the Australian economy and media landscape. A third purpose could very well be to use non-standard language for the purposes of building rapport with millennial readers interested in the likes of platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Finally, the violent connotations may also indicate a negative conflict-centric approach from the current government’s assistant treasurer in regards to taxing Meta.
- Tags: #identity, #language-change, #formal-vs-informal, #standard-vs-non-standard, #social-purpose
Example 6 - CSU tax-payer guide “2024 budget is Vanilla” example
- Context (who/where/when): By Sessional Lecturer in Accounting Ms Liza Byrnes (pictured inset) in the Charles Sturt School of Business. Released on June 27th, 2024, designed to help people pay their taxes.
- Term: Metaphor, SAE-colloquialism, idiomatic (calling something vanilla in regards to it being basic and predictable), formatting of inverted commas for sarcasm
- Example/quote: “In terms of tax initiatives, one might say this Budget was quite ‘vanilla’, with not a lot to get excited about.”
- Why: The use of the idiomatic colloquialism “Budget was quite ‘vanilla’”, formatted with inverted commas for a sarcastic effect, allows CSU to metaphorically attribute the simplicity and predictability of the 2024 Australian budget, to the likes of Vanilla flavoured ice cream. Thus, indicating through figurative imagery, a simplification of otherwise complex financial jargon, given the ultimate social purpose and intent is to produce ease for citizens in the process of paying their taxes. Thus, upholstering coherent communication through a pre-existing mutual understanding and inference of the vanilla flavour. Such language use indicates a strategic versatile identity for the highly academic institute of CSU, appealing to as many demographics as possible in order to produce utmost comprehensibility and impact for taxpayers.
- Tags: #formal-vs-informal, #standard-vs-non-standard, #social-purpose, #identity, #language-change
Example 7 - The TikToker taking the western Sydney accent to the world
- Context (who/where/when): The Guardian published this article on the 25th of January, 2024, regarding audiences being eager for the Lebanese-Australian ethnolect to be heard in the mainstream media
- Term: Ethnolect
- Example/quote: “For some, it doesn’t sound classy, doesn’t sound sophisticated, it sounds like someone who is less intelligent, [it’s] associated with that kind of street identity,” Orm says. As well as the colloquial borrowing “Lek Shuu” with an elongated /eu/ phoneme, denoting what’s up in the lebanese ethnolect
- Why: Mahmoud Ismail’s overt use of the borrowing “Lek Shuu”, denoting an arabic greeting, on mainstream platform, tiktok, has spurred analysis such as the declarative “for some, it doesn’t sound classy, doesn’t sound sophisticated, it sounds like someone who is less intelligent, [it’s] associated with that kind of street identity”. This is incredibly in line with the national perception of ethnolects and phonetic deviation such as the /eu/ phoneme elongation. Displaying the negative reception from prescriptivists around Australia, showing a level of prejudice due to the pre-conceived notion of social class associated with non-general accents. Simultaneously, it allows Ismail to display his ethnic identity, establish rapport with his cultural in-group and establish a level of prestige through the content and comedy he produces. This not only brings awareness to multiculturalism in Australia but urges language change and a shift in attitudes towards a more egalitarian reality.
- Tags: #ethnolects, #identity, #language-change, #attitudes, #prestige
Example 8 - Bookshop owner says we need “more white kids on book covers and less Indig history”
- Context (who/where/when): 31 JAN 2024
Bookshop Owner, Susanne Horman Demands Substantial Shift in Woke Aussie Publishing. The owner of independent Victorian bookshop chain Robinsons has come under fire for a series of (since deleted) social media posts on X, including a list of "books we don't need", making relatively prejudicial comments.
- Term: Interrogative, derogatory and prejudicial use of adjective “white”, shortening of noun “indigenous” to “indig”
- Example/quote: "What's missing from our bookshelves in store? Positive male lead characters of any age, any traditional nuclear white family stories, kids picture books with just white kids on the cover, and no wheelchair, rainbow or indigenous art, non indig aus history," read one post from Robinsons' chief executive Susanne Horman.
- Why: Susanne Horman’s use of derogatory language such as the shortening of noun “indigenous” to “indig” can be considered highly insensitive. This shortening occured in the process of implying a redundancy of producing books incorporating indigenous history for young Australians to read, ushering a focus onto the adjectival phrase “white kids” and ensuring emphasis on the listing “no wheelchair, rainbow or indigenous art”. Thus, displaying ever-present contemporary Australian prejudicial attitudes which may fluctuate between overt and covert settings. However, Susanne promptly deleted and retraced her comments, publishing an apology after the outrage surrounding her rhetorical interrogative “What’s missing from our bookshelves in store?”. Such an apology displays the changing tide in contemporary Australian society, altering people’s linguistic intentions to be more in line with egalitarian ideals.
- Tags: #formal-vs-informal #standard-vs-non-standard #social-purpose #identity #language-change#attitudes #prestige #social-harmony #taboo-and-euphemism #political-correctness #aboriginal-english
Example 9 - Does "France" rhyme with "pants" or "aunts"?
- Context (who/where/when): Australian accents are changing across different regions, generations, and cultures - January 27th, 2024, Across Australia, linguists are revolutionising the understanding of how Aussies' voices differ from one another, fuelling new insights into what was once thought to be a monolithic accent.
- Term: Phonological variation, elongation of phoneme /a/, proper noun,
- Example/quote: Does "France" rhyme with "pants" or "aunts"?
- Why: The natural evolution of Australian accents is seen in the comparison of how Australians are pronouncing proper noun “France.” The more general accent pronounces proper noun “France” with a short /a/ phoneme, rhyming with the noun “pants”, whereas the slightly more prestigious, cultivated accent incorporates an elongated /a/ phoneme. Thus, this variation rhymes “France” with plural noun “aunts”. Such a variation holds varying attitudes associated with varying prestige. ABC’s article sheds light on how different rural areas such as Warnambool, more sounds were merging, shortening and assimilating alike to the more general accent. Thus, displaying the visceral deviation and dichotomy between rural and non rural Australian accents being associated with general and cultivated patterns of phonology, respectively.
- Tags: #ethnolects, #identity, #identity, #language-change, #attitudes, #prestige
Example 10 - Yarra Valley Grammar ‘tier list’
- Context (who/where/when): May, 2024. Three male students at Yarra Valley Grammar have been suspended over a spreadsheet rating the attractiveness of female students. The spreadsheet used offensive terms and referenced sexual violence.
- Term: Suffixated noun “wifey”, colloquial suffixation “cuties”, derogatory taboo suffixated “unrapeable”.
- Example/quote: The spreadsheet used nouns such as "wifeys" and "cuties" to describe female students and also used the term "unrapeable”.
- Why: The teenage use of colloquial suffixations “Wifeys”, “cuties” and adjective “unrapeable” displays not only a deep culture a misogyny, but how age-identity-related language can spread like wildfire, perpetuating dangerous juvenile attitudes. The use of these neologisms may have very well produced rapport and mutual understanding among the teenage audience, on the online platform discord, potentially producing humour and entertainment, but simultaneously harming innocent girls who had their images unknowingly arranged in a ranking system. Thus, language can be highly harmful, threatening positive face needs and causing societal insecurity, enabling prejudicial attitudes. Thus, in many aspects, age-related language development may not always be an indicator of positive growth and efficiency, but rather a measure to covertly establish rapport over hurtful semantic fields.
- Tags: #formal-vs-informal, #standard-vs-non-standard, #social-purpose, #identity, #language-change, #attitudes
Example 11 - Woolworths CEO senate inquiry jargon obfuscation + euphemism
- Context (who/where/when): April 15, 2024, Brad Banducci, Woolworths boss, was warned by senators he could face imprisonment for refusing to answer simple questions during a Senate inquiry into Australia's supermarket sector.
- Term: Jargon, obfuscation, euphemism, adjacency pairs, repetition
- Example/quote: Banducci: "Senator, as I've said, the way we measure our performance and profitability is our return on investment and total shareholder return. Banducci: "Senator, we measure return on investment, which we think is the right way of measuring profitability in a company. Banducci: "Senator, we measure return on investment.
- Why: Banducci, woolworths CEO was recently under fire for pressuring farmers in a cost of living crisis and price gouging in a duopoly over the grocery shopping industry. In April of 2024, Banducci employed jargonistic repetition and euphemism repeatedly to avoid referentially and efficiently answering the Senate’s inquiries. As part of adjacency pairs, constantly repeating the declaratives “Senator, we measure return on investment” with front focussed adverbial “Senator”. Overall, Banducci aims to obfuscate the potentially negative reality of his business operations, while manipulating the audience into a whirlwind of confusion through financial jargon use, displaying his expertise. Simultaneously, by addressing the Senator directly, Banducci aims to subtly build rapport and address them, likely to mitigate any repercussions his company will face. The use of this euphemistic avoidance displays the power of language, specifically jargon, to allow the elite to navigate contemporary Austrailan society.
- Tags: #prestige, #formal-vs-informal, #standard-vs-non-standard, #social-purpose. #identity
Example 12 - Abbie Chatfield on saying “no”
- Context (who/where/when): Abbie Chatfield, radio show host, Nov 2023, on the power of saying “no” in regards to extra work responsibilities for more peace and free time
- Term: Exclamative OR determiner
- Example/quote: “No more radio shows!” “No. It wasn’t a hard decision”
- Why: Abbie Chatfield exemplifies her use of the exclamative phrase “No” in regards to resigning from her professional radio responsibilities. This displays Australian values of autonomy and self-care, prioritising her personal life and peace, powered by her definitive use of language. Simultaneously, Abbie Chatfield exhibits her power in regards to striving for her independence, displaying a level of egalitarianism. This is intertwined with her declarative “it wasn’t a hard decision”, directly addressing the importance of using language with conviction to extract maximum impact. This example could also be considered a way to upholster Abbie’s negative face needs of privacy and autonomy, promoting this attitude to her fans and audiences, which may lead to greater social harmony.
- Tags: #identity, #social-harmony, #social-purpose
- Link to source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSjVLH8cWWg
Example 13 - Albanese giving tax cuts to everyone collectively
- Context (who/where/when): Feb 29, 2024, Albanese posts on twitter, providing tax cuts to all Australians
- Term: Adverbial focus shifting, collective pronoun, determiner
- Example/quote: “While Peter Dutton opposes every action we take to deliver cost of living relief, we are delivering tax cuts for every Australian taxpayer, we are delivering tax cuts for every Australian taxpayer.”
- Why: The use the front focussed adverbial “While Peter Dutton opposes every action we take to deliver cost of living relief” by Albanese, initially deconstructs his rival’s political integrity, viscerally shifting attention onto Peter Dutton being financially inefficient in times of hardship. This is followed by the use of collective pronoun “we” alongside the determiner “every” as part of the declarative phrase “we are delivering tax cuts for every Australian taxpayer.” Thus, emphasising that every single Australian collectively receives these tax benefits, in unison, establishing a sense of in group and solidarity among society. This strategically may win public support in an effort to stay the Prime Minister of Australia. Thus, we see how inclusive language in the political field can shift public perception and display a desire for rapport and change. Given that Albanese is the Prime Minister of Australia, it is therefore expected for him to display empathy and show inclusivity in times of hardship.
- Tags: #social-purpose, #identity, #language-change, #attitudes, #prestige, #social-harmony
- Link to source: https://twitter.com/AlboMP/status/1763403113476849798
Example 14 - GFLIP non-binary “thirst trap”
- Context (who/where/when): February, 2024, non-binary chart-topper and walking thirst trap @gflip has joined @abctv’s Mardi Gras host line up!
- Term: personification, lexical ambiguity
- Why: The use of the lexical ambiguity “walking thirst trap” personifies a social media post intended to entice viewers sexually. Posted on ABCQueer in February of 2024, this emphasis on a member of the LGBTQIA+ community being considered sexually delectable for the broad instagram audience of ABCQueer perpetuates greater destigmatisation and reduces discrimination. Thus, exhibiting the immense power of language choices in combination with context to pursue politically correct agendas and contemporary societal perspective shifts.
- Tags: #social-harmony, #taboo-and-euphemism, #political-correctness, #identity, #language-change
- Link to source: https://www.instagram.com/p/C29DU2MyBnb/
Example 15 - Jessica Mauboy emotional and “choked up” with use of “Brung”
- Context (who/where/when): Jessica Mauboy in an emotional conversation on the FNP radio station “Blak Out” discussing (February 2024)
- Term: Non-standard assimilation of /i/ to /u/ in past tense verb “Brung”, shortening of noun sister to “sis”, colloquial verb phrase “choked up” and AAE “Brother”
- Example/quote: “BRUNG US” and “WE WERE WINNING SIS”
“Brother (AAE) nooky” “CHOKED UP emotionally”
- Why: Given this radio show is specifically for the showcasing of FNP artistry and history, the use of AAE such as “/Brothuh/” with an assimilated /er/ sound represents not only the FNP identity of the host, but also aligns with the in group and prestige associated with AAE. Thus, displaying how varieties of Australian English can garner overt and covert prestige in a range of settings and contexts depending on the audience. The AAE past tense verb phrase “BRUNG US” utilised by the host further enforces this FNP identity, while lauding Mauboy for the barriers she broke to find the success she did despite prejudicial attitudes in Australia. Simultaneously, the presence of overtly used AAE on a national broadcast such as the shortened noun “sis” or the semantic patterning of the emotive verb phrase “choked up”, indicates a growing acceptance and change in attitude towards FNP and AAE. Metaphorically depicting Mauboy’s in the vein of suffocation is a highly expressive and personified method of delivery which illicit figurative conjuration for the audience, broadening exposure to idioms within FNP culture on a national broadcast.
- Tags: #formal-vs-informal, #standard-vs-non-standard, #social-purpose, #identity, #language-change, #attitudes, #prestige, #social-harmony, #aboriginal-english
- Link to source: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3RaPP9PK_z/
Example 16 - Triple J hook up “ANOTHA”
- Context (who/where/when): Triple J’s hook-up show discussing dates that never happened in February of 2024
- Term: assimilation of the /er/ to /a/
- Example/quote: “ANOTHA”
- Why: In the midst of Triple J’s hosts outlining their unsuccessful dating experiences, they utilise quite a broad Australian accent. For example, the use of determiner “another” with the assimilation of /er/ to /a/ on a nationally broadcasted radio show exhibits the continued presence of a broad Australian accent in mainstream media, despite the contemporary transition to a more cultivated Australian accent among immigrants and younger generations. Although attitudes may be overtly transitioning towards a consideration of broad Australian accents being considered low socioeconomic status, it still holds a significant position on tv and radio.
- Tags: #standard-vs-non-standard, #attitudes, #prestige, #identity
- Link to source: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3YxUiNvb04/
Example 17 - The workshop “Man Cave” boosting male confidence
- Context (who/where/when): The workshop “Man Cave” boosting male confidence JAN 2024
- Term: idiom/colloquialism - or common saying being used as a double entendre, insertion of vowel phoneme under the tongue, plural noun, lexical ambiguity of The Man Cave (conjures figurative image - semantic patterning)
- Example/quote: “The man cave” “skills”
- Why: “Skills” is pronounced with the insertion of the vowel phoneme /e/ for extra depth /skiells/ under the tongue. This is highly representative of the General Australian Accent, used in this masculine-centric setting to encourage young boys to feel comfortable and equipped with their mental health. This example of the Australian accent indicates a use-case surrounding mental health, establishing relatability with young men but also being connoted as a sign of masculinity to have a generally strong Australian accent. This connotation is exploited by The Man Cave’s presenters to discourage toxic masculinity, and teach men how to show emotions, despite the masculine perception of Australian men.
→ can discuss the SHIFTING ATTITUDES TOWARDS MALE MASCULINITY
- Tags: #social-harmony, #taboo-and-euphemism, #identity, #attitudes
- Link to source: https://themancave.life/
Example 18 - Anthony Albanese proposes to wife and she says yes ❤️
- Context (who/where/when): Anthony Albanese proposes to wife and she says yes ❤️ FEB 2024
- Term: Inference, declarative, emoji, paralinguistic feature, anaphoric referencing
- Example/quote: “She said yes ❤️”
- Why: The use of inference by Anthony Albanese in the declarative sentence “She said yes.” with a heart emoji and an image to support this statement. Despite being initially vague, the use of visual aids in the photo of Albanese and his fiance on the X platform referentially informs the audience that he has gotten engaged. The strategic use of inference here, may produce suspense for the audience as well as display his more emotional side through the heart emoji. This increases public support for Albanese, who also comes across as a loyal and committed human, with a relatively conservative approach to monogamy. The use of anaphoric referencing “she” is implied, through the visual aid also, indicating his acknowledgement of his fiance. Social media and language change, as well as paralinguistic language use has allowed for high status individuals such as the Prime Minister of Australia to place their private lives on display as shown above, which may be lauded by some and discouraged by others. Nonetheless, displaying the ever-changing landscape of language use and the influence of contemporary values and media.
- Tags: #prestige, #social-harmony, #identity, #social-purpose
- Link to source: https://x.com/AlboMP/status/1757884255643033715
Example 19 - Missy Higgins tour announcement humility
- Context (who/where/when): Missy Higgins (Artist) is promoting her music tour 2024
- Term: #social-purpose,
- Example/quote: “Well, I hope/ i see some of you guys at shows!/ hopefully/”
- Why: Missy Higgins increases in pitch at the end of her declarative sentence “Well, I hope/ i see some of you guys at shows!/ hopefully/” The use of the heightened pitch exclamative and declarative allows Higgins to hedge the chance that her fans may not attend, in order to come across as more humble and less arrogant. She displays a sense of vulnerability by implying there is even a probability that her fans choose to not attend her tour. Thus, displaying an Australian pattern behaviour of rising in pitch in order to be seen as gentle and non-imposing, in case fans feel pressured to attend the tour. This is representative of all Australian accent types, both rural and metropolitan. Thus, the place in contemporary society for Australian speech patterns is still present, with positive attitudes towards it and a genuine use case.
- Tags: #social-purpose, #identity
- Link to source: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3qSFrgSU8G/
Example 20 - Bryce from Property Price exacerbating /ai/ phoneme
- Context (who/where/when): Bryce from Property Price informing audience about property price movement
- Term: verbs, nouns, elongation, financial jargon, prestige
- Example/quote: “Dr/aii/ve” “Suppl/aiy/” “Pr/iy/ce” “S/iy/de”
- Why: The exacerbation and elongation of the /ai/ phoneme in the verbs “Dr/aii/ve” “Suppl/aiy/” as well as the nouns “Pr/iy/ce” “S/iy/de” is highly representative of the Broad Australian accent, even within financial jargon that involves sophisticated language which displays expertise. Overall, this shows that even in positions where prestige is of utmost importance, such as Bryce from Property Price (Feb 2024) having a highly analytical conversation with a like minded audience, Broader Australian accents are not avoided and are displayed proudly.
- Tags: #attitudes, #prestige, #identity
- Link to source: https://youtu.be/Hy75TvDA098?si=Ghna6dcnZid_b-TO
Example 21 - “Its an Oldie but a Goldie” - Bill Shorten Feb 2024
- Context (who/where/when): Bill Shorten on 9 news, discussing war and violence
- Term: elongated /O/ phoneme, suffixation, colloquialism, taboo, rapport
- Example/quote: “Its an Oldie but a Goldie”
- Why: The elongated /O/ phoneme as part of suffixed colloquialism /oldie/ and /goldie/ provide an emphasised quality to the Australian idiom. This allows Bill Shorten the politician to display his Australian identity in the midst of discussing a taboo topic such as war and violence. This garners Australian support while also making use of a common Australian idiom in order to establish immense rapport and connection with the audience.
- Tags: #attitudes, #prestige, #social-harmony, #formal-vs-informal, #standard-vs-non-standard, #social-purpose
Example 22 - “Making stuff up about the Ghost Bat Killer drones” - Peter Dutton 2024
- Context (who/where/when): Peter Dutton on 9 news, discussing war and violence
- Term: connotation, noun phrase, semantic patterning, negative face needs
- Example/quote: “Making stuff up about the Ghost Bat Killer drones”
- Why: The ambiguous use of violent connotation in the noun phrase “Ghost Bat Killer drones” (Feb 2024) by channel 9 allows them to viscerally depict the degree of damage and chaos that can ensue as a result of wielding such weaponry. The mystical allure associated visually with an invisible ghost-like figure, combined with a terrifying nocturnal animal such as the bat achieves the purpose of threatening negative face needs of the audience. This may serve as an urgent warning to halt the pursuit of war and conflict.
- Tags: #attitudes, #prestige, #social-harmony, #formal-vs-informal, #standard-vs-non-standard, #social-purpose