Location, Location, Location! Regional Characteristics and National Patterns of Change in the Vowels of Melbourne Adolescents

Evidence of Australian English vowel shifting has been found recently, in data primarily from Sydney and surrounding areas. Although regional variation in the Australian accent remains under-investigated, some signs of regional vowel differences have been found, suggesting that data from other regional centres must also be considered to accurately assess the nature and extent of vowel change. This study contributes to the ongoing re-assessment of Australian vowel characteristics by examining formant data of the /hVd/ vowels of 13 female and nine male adolescents from Melbourne, in relation to recent data from Sydney and Adelaide and earlier data from New South Wales. Results yield evidence of regional vowel differences, with signs that these interact with vowel innovation, and that the presence of regional and innovative vowel characteristics differs for males and females.