Southern Hemisphere

Southern Hemisphere

• Australia, NZ, SA.• Colonized at about the same time, early

19th cent.• So only 200 yrs; time of independent

evolution 150 yrs.

1Changes that occurred in Eng after the American colonization but before the S-Hemi colonization:

a R-Dropping (North)b BATH Broadening (South)c Diphthong Shift (South)

Southern Hemisphere basic points

a R-Droppingb BATH Broadeningc Diphthong Shift.

NB: These developments were not completed in Britain at the beginning of the period (and are not completed now)

Parallel development?British prestige influence?

Southern Hemisphere

• Loss of r was not as widespread at the beginning of the 19th century as it is now; and large numbers of colonizers from rhotic areas - SW England, Scotland, and particularly Ireland (rebels). ButtS.Hemisphere is non-rhotic throughout

• BATH Broadening was essentially a Southern British development, not Northern British.

• Diphthong Shift was not advanced in the early period : parallel development since.

Southern Hemisphere

2• Little or no T-glottaling, so this is a later

change in BritEng.

• L-Vocalization seems fairly common in Aus - parallel development?

Southern Hemisphere basic points

3• Front Vowel Raising:

TRAP DRESS KIT

Southern Hemisphere basic points

Front Vowel Raising:TRAP and DRESS Raising

AusNZSA

Front Vowel Raising:TRAP and DRESS Raising

So what happens toFLEECE?

Aus:KIT Raising

So what happens toFLEECE?

Front Vowel Raising:KIT Raising

NZ:KIT Centring

Front Vowel Raising:KIT Raising

SA:KIT Split

Australia

• homogenous: Perth in the W and Sidney in the E - 3000 kilometers between them - are virtually the same. In this respect like Canada.

• Social and stylist varieties rather than geographical (unlike Canada)

Australia

W3 593°: "carries forward trends already present in popular accents of the SE of England in the early 19th cent, but allowed to develop more rapidly and thoroughly as a consequence of being freed from the omnipresent restraining influence of RP."

AustraliaDifferences from Cockney:

• T-Glottalisation and L-Vocalization (Wells) have occurred SINCE in SEng urban accents

• TRAP & DRESS raisingSimilarities:Very similar Diphthong shifts.

Diphthong Shift: repeat(Melchers and Shaw call this “Wide Diphthongs”)

Initial simplification:

paintpintpoint

RP London

Earlier (talking) slide on Diphthong Shift from Week 1

http://www.hi.is/~peturk/KENNSLA/87/VARS/DiphShift.html

AustraliaVarieties:

CULTIVATED - GENERAL – BROAD

• Cultivated: little or no Diphth Shift• General: Diphth Shift• Broad: Diphth Shift + extra length of first

mora.

AustraliaVarieties:

CULTIVATED - GENERAL – BROAD

• Cultivated: little Front Vowel Raising• General: Front Vowel Raising• Broad: strong Front Vowel Raising

Aus vowels summary1. Raising of front vowels:

squashing æ e and i up together. More so in Broad varieties

2. Drag-chain result: fronting of STRUT towards [a] (also London)

3. Fronting of GOOSE, START and NURSE

Aus vowels summary

Aus vowels summary

• NEAR-SQUARE Merger

Aus vowels summary

Aus vowels summary• Weak Vowel Merger

chatted and chattered - distinct in RP, homophones in Aus

Aus vowels summary

Aus consonants summary• T-Voicing is variable;• not as strong as Gen Am;• not clear whether there is a loss of

opposition in latter - ladder

Aus consonants summary• “No L-Vocalisation” (Wells) ??

No clear l- Dark l distinction; Wells: l tends to be 'pharyngealized' in all positions, rather than velarized:

Wells quotes blade, telephone, happily.

Aus• Broad speakers: more rhythmic, slower

(Wells)