The Australian Accent - Uptalk
Shane Gillis has a comedy bit about the Australian accent and the humorous interpretation and connotations to the Australian accent regardless of the circumstances.
Now why is that?
What about these statements makes them funny to a North American English speaker?
Well, it’s a comment on the intonation pattern more than anything.
Here’s the transcript of punch lines from the bit.
All day I think about death
I’m actually very dark and twisted
Oh fuck, look out!
Oh no! There’s another one. Get down!
Oh fuck! It’s hot up here. Gonna have to jump out!
Nooooooo!
#1. It’s Relative. It’s funny for North American English speakers
The humor is intended for a North American audience. It isn’t exactly funny for a full Australian audience because if they all speak that way, then the distinction between ‘funny’ and ‘typical’ isn’t as clear.
When people talk about about English accents, they are actually referring to the relative relationship between the local English accent compared to regional dialects. A Texas English accent is only noticed relative to a non-Texas English accents. A Brooklyn New York accent is only noticed relative to a non-Brooklyn New York accents.
So in this case, the humor is derived in how whimsical the Australian English accent is compared to the American accent. It sounds silly and fun in comparison to the typical downward declarative intonation pattern in American speech.
#2. The Intonation
Now, Australian English, like certain areas of America, is characterized by a high rising terminal (HRT) speech pattern, also known as rising inflection, upspeak, uptalk, or high rising intonation (HRI). It’s a feature of some variants of English where declarative sentences can end with a rising pitch similar to that typically found in yes-or-no questions. Sometimes it’s also referred to as Valley speak.
When we draw it out, here’s what those pitch variations look like.
Shane Gillis’ comment highlights an association that North American English speakers attribute to the intonational variance that is characteristic of Australian English accents. The up-and-down variance and the regularity of this pattern in declarative sentences is interpreted as whimsical and non-serious to North American English speakers.
His punchlines are often times followed by an immediate rebuttal or rejection of the statement.
All day I think about death. Shut up dude.
I’m actually very dark and twisted. No, you’re not.
#3. The Implications
The implication of this speech pattern is that you aren’t taken seriously; that what you are saying isn’t true, or can be taken lightly.
There are inherent implications and judgments associated with this pattern of speech, which although wrongfully attributed, warrants your attention and awareness.
Interestingly, when it is your native English accent, listeners can attribute it to the accent and not a reflection of your individual person traits. According to a 2014 article, the implications of this speech patterrn differ depending on where you were born. In the UK, it’s stated that people can look past the speech pattern and not hold judgment if it is characteristic of your accent - as it can be in Australian English and North American English. However, if you were a British English speaker who used high rising terminal speech, then you were judged as annoying, insecure, and could impact your hiring potential.
So Know Your Part and what You can Do
Don’t let people judge you prematurely or incorrectly. By taking control of your speech and intonation pattern, you can work on making your declarative statements follow a downward intonational patttern. This takes the whimsy and potential misinterpretation out of the equation. People won’t have the opportunity to judge you as insecure, annoying, or unconfident.
