Western Australian English is theEnglish spoken in theAustralian state ofWestern Australia (WA). Although generally the same as most otherAustralian English, it has some state-specific words – includingslang andAboriginal words – and variations in pronunciation.
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Some of the vocabulary used in Western Australia is unique, within bothAustralia and thewider world.[1][2]
Several terms ofBritish origin have survived which are rarely used in other parts of Australia. One example isverge, meaning the area between a road and a paved footpath, which is known by the termnature strip in the rest of Australia.[3] Another isbrook, for a small stream.[3]
Some words have been shortened, for example, the termbathers is commonly used in place ofbathing suit.[citation needed] Some original terms have also been invented in WA, and have since found their way into common usage. An example of this is the termhome open, describing a house on the market which is open for public inspection ("open house" in other English vernaculars).[4]
Altogether, about 750 words are estimated to be used differently in WA than they are in theeastern states.[3]
There are also many unique, invented slang words, such asding, referring either to an Australian immigrant ofItalian descent (this word is often considered derogatory and/or offensive), or a dent in a car panel.[5] Cursive may also often be calledrunning writing in Western Australian primary schools.[citation needed].
A 285-millilitre (10.0 imp fl oz; 9.6 US fl oz) glass of beer is referred to as amiddy only in WA and New South Wales.[citation needed]
Many words fromIndigenous Australian languages have found their way into Western Australian English. Examples includegidgee (orgidgie), aNoongar word for spear, as used in modern spear fishing;[3] andgilgie (orjilgie), the Noongar name for a small freshwater crayfish of theSouth West. Crayfish often found in the Perth Hills area may be calledyabbies. Another word of likely Aboriginal origin isboondy (pronounced withʊ, like the vowel inbush), which means a rock, boulder, or small stone.[6] Among Western Australians, the termsand-boondy or more commonlyboondy is well-recognised as referring to a small lump of sand (with the granules stuck together), often thrown at one another by children in playgrounds or building sites.[3]
Other Aboriginal words that have been included more widely into relatively common regional Western Australian parlance include "wongi" (talk) and "milli-milli" (paper).[citation needed]
Most Western Australians speak with either a general Australian accent or a broad Australian accent. Those who grew up in suburbanPerth typically speak with a general Australian accent, and those from regional areas ("from the country") speak with a broad accent.[citation needed]
Centringdiphthongs are the vowels that occur in words likeear,beard andsheer. 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 "beer" without any jaw movement, while Western Australians tend pronounce them more like "fe-ah" and "be-ah", respectively.[7][8]
As also found inSouth Australian English, the tendency for some/l/ sounds to become vowels (/l/ vocalisation) is more common than other states. "Hurled", for example, in Western Australia has a vocalised[ʊ̯], leading to the pronunciation[hɜːʊ̯d], whereas in other states the/l/ is pronounced as a consonant[ɫ]. The/l/ is vocalised; for example, "milk" sounds like "miuwk"[mɪʊ̯k] and "hill" sounds like "hiw"[hɪʊ̯], which can also be similar in dialect withSouth African English but in a different vocabulary compared toNew Zealand English.
Some pronunciations also differ from those used in the rest of Australia. For example:
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