Do Australians consider their English as a dialect or language?

[lquyphu77]

Hello everyone,

This is a question for native Australian English speakers. I am doing a thesis about whether or not Australian English is a language or dialect and I was wondering what native Australians consider their speech to be.

Do you think your variety of English is a variety of (British) English or do you think Australian English has developed in such a way that today it can be considered a new language? Or any other ideas?

Thank you for co-operating.

Kind regards,
Qphu

 

[bhaisahab]

Please correct the information in your profile.

 

[konungursvia]

I don't think any Aussies would consider it a language. Dialect is not a popular word nowadays. It's certainly a geolect.

 

[Skrej]

Not Australian.

How could anybody consider something that's 99.5% mutually intelligible a new language?

 

[Raymott]

It's the following: English, Australian English, Australian (in some contexts), a language, a dialect, and a variety.
The man or woman in the street would answer as follows:

Interviewer: "What language do your speak?"
Aussie: "English"
Interviewer: "It doesn't sound like English."
Aussie: "It's Australian English."
Interviewer: "Would you consider it a language, a dialect, or a variety?"
Aussie: "Are you coming the raw prawn, mate?"
Interviewer: "No, not at all. How do you think about what you speak?"
Aussie: "It's ordinary English. It's the same language the Pommies speak. And the Yanks."

By the way, I notice you are Australian. What do you think it is?

 

[Tdol]

Variant is often used for the national Englishes. I would use that rather than call it a dialect, which I would use for a regional form within a country.