Aboriginal English – an overview

Introduction The label ‘Aboriginal English’ usually refers to a range of varieties of English spoken by Aboriginal Australians, which are not identical either with Standard Australian English or a creole. While in recent years the number of speakers of Standard Australian English has increased among Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal English continues to be used by many in a variety of functions, as either a first or second language. In this chapter we will identify some of the features of Aboriginal English, noting in particular the differences between Aboriginal English and the creoles on the one hand, and between Aboriginal English and Standard Australian English on the other, and examine its functions in contemporary Australian society. We will also consider likely trends, and finally, point out areas for further research. Studies of Aboriginal English Up to the late sixties little scholarly attention had been given to any English-based variety spoken by Aboriginal people, though the existence of such varieties was well known from the earliest times of European settlement and even documented by many lay observers. These speech varieties were generally lumped together under such labels as ‘pidgin’, ‘jargon’, ‘perverted’, ‘corrupt’, ‘disjointed’ or ‘broken English’. At best, they were dismissed as quaint manifestations of valiant but not quite successful attempts by Aboriginal people to speak English, and at worst, seen as varieties to be ridiculed and eradicated.