Regional variation in Australian English

Australian English is relatively homogenous when compared to British and American English. The major varieties of Australian English are sociocultural rather than regional, being General Australian, Broad Australian and Cultivated Australian. There is however some regional variation between the states, particularly in regards to South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia. These differences come down to different preferences for word usage, as well as some pronunciations.

Pronunciation Differences

Trap-bath Split

In Australian English, pronunciations vary regionally according to the type of vowel that occurs before the sounds nd, ns, nt, nce, nch, and mple, and the pronunciation of the suffix "-mand". In words like "chance", "plant", "branch", "sample" and "demand", the vast majority of Australians use the short /æ/ vowel from the word "cat". In South Australia however there is a high proportion of people who use the broad /aː/ vowel from the word "cart" in these words. In Victoria, "castle" and "rascal" rhyme with "hassle" rather than non-rhotic "parcel".

Centring diphthongs

Centring diphthongs, which are the vowels that occur in words like ear, beard and air, sheer. In Western Australia there is a tendency for centring diphthongs to be pronounced as full diphthongs. Those in the eastern states will tend to pronounce "fear" and...
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