From Paul Hogan to Cate Blanchett: evolution of the Australian accent

The Australian accent is a curious beast that is constantly evolving.

Depending on where you come from you might say “good day” rather than “g’day”, pronounce the Melbourne Bayside suburb of Brighton differently to your neighbour, or even argue over the pronunciation of words like “plant” and “dance”.

From the development of our accent, derived from the early settlers who arrived as convicts from all over the United Kingdom, to more recent influences from America, the Pacific Islands and even text messaging, you might not think you have an Australian accent, but you absolutely do.

Whether it’s Paul Hogan’s thick ’strayan or Cate Blanchett’s posh, refined dialect, the evolution of how we speak is fascinating.

Today on Please Explain, senior culture writer Karl Quinn joins Nathanael Cooper to discover more about the Aussie accent.