What is Aboriginal English ?
Aboriginal English is the name given to dialects of English which are spoken by Indigenous people and which differ from Standard Australian English in systematic ways. Although Aboriginal English is similar to the Australian creole language Kriol in terms of history and grammatical features, the two should not be confused together. It must be noted that Aboriginal English is not a pidgin English and it would be derogatory to call it so. Aboriginal English developed not from pidgin English, but from the Aboriginalization of English as speakers learnt the language. Aboriginal people in areas where there was no pidgin language made English into an Aboriginal English by bringing into it accents, words, grammar and ways of speaking from their Aboriginal languages and those of their parents.
Who speaks Aboriginal English ?
Aboriginal English is probably the first language of the majority of Aboriginal people in Australia, who make up approximately 2% of the total population of the country. While many people speak it as their 'mother tongue', some indigenous people as a second or third or fourth language, and these speakers have 'traditional' Aboriginal languages such as the creole languages as their first language. Aboriginal English resulted from the British invasion of Aboriginal land in 1788, as the response of diverse Aboriginal speech communities to the demands of communicating with the monolingual English-speakers who took over the continent. This means that Aboriginal English has been spoken by the majority of Aboriginal people for close to 225 years ! Aboriginal English is important to Aboriginal identity, both in terms of self-identity and the identification of other Aboriginal people. Therefore, Aboriginal English is widely used for communication between Aboriginal people and communities, however, Aboriginal English speakers tend to not use Aboriginal English when speaking to a non Indigenous person.
Is there any variety with speakers ?
There are a number of variation within Aboriginal English. There is a continuum of Aboriginal dialects, ranging from close to Australian Standard English at one extreme and to close to Kriol, which is an Australian creole language spoken by many Indigenous people, at the other. Heavy Aboriginal English is spoken mainly in the more remote areas, where it is influenced by Kriol, while light varieties of Aboriginal English are spoken mainly in metropolitan, urban areas. This is because Aboriginal English is a powerful vehicle for the expression of Aboriginal identity, and Aboriginal people have long used this language as markers of group identity, so therefore heavy Aboriginal English is used where Aboriginal communities live. Light Aboriginal English are spoken in the urban city area to aid in communication with non Indigenous people. This is so that communication can be efficient as majority of urban city livers, who are non Aboriginal English speakers. Aboriginal English maintains its distinctiveness through its distinctive features of accent, grammar, words and meanings, language use, as well as its non-verbal communication system. These distinctive features will be furthered discussed in terms of Aboriginal English's pronunciation, lexicon, grammar, and customs of discourse in this website's links.
Who speaks Aboriginal English ?
Aboriginal English is probably the first language of the majority of Aboriginal people in Australia, who make up approximately 2% of the total population of the country. While many people speak it as their 'mother tongue', some indigenous people as a second or third or fourth language, and these speakers have 'traditional' Aboriginal languages such as the creole languages as their first language. Aboriginal English resulted from the British invasion of Aboriginal land in 1788, as the response of diverse Aboriginal speech communities to the demands of communicating with the monolingual English-speakers who took over the continent. This means that Aboriginal English has been spoken by the majority of Aboriginal people for close to 225 years ! Aboriginal English is important to Aboriginal identity, both in terms of self-identity and the identification of other Aboriginal people. Therefore, Aboriginal English is widely used for communication between Aboriginal people and communities, however, Aboriginal English speakers tend to not use Aboriginal English when speaking to a non Indigenous person.
Is there any variety with speakers ?
There are a number of variation within Aboriginal English. There is a continuum of Aboriginal dialects, ranging from close to Australian Standard English at one extreme and to close to Kriol, which is an Australian creole language spoken by many Indigenous people, at the other. Heavy Aboriginal English is spoken mainly in the more remote areas, where it is influenced by Kriol, while light varieties of Aboriginal English are spoken mainly in metropolitan, urban areas. This is because Aboriginal English is a powerful vehicle for the expression of Aboriginal identity, and Aboriginal people have long used this language as markers of group identity, so therefore heavy Aboriginal English is used where Aboriginal communities live. Light Aboriginal English are spoken in the urban city area to aid in communication with non Indigenous people. This is so that communication can be efficient as majority of urban city livers, who are non Aboriginal English speakers. Aboriginal English maintains its distinctiveness through its distinctive features of accent, grammar, words and meanings, language use, as well as its non-verbal communication system. These distinctive features will be furthered discussed in terms of Aboriginal English's pronunciation, lexicon, grammar, and customs of discourse in this website's links.