Communication: Are Australians different?

Abstract

Much is written about the distinctive nature of communication in Australia, but the extent to which this distinctiveness remains today warrants examination. There certainly was a period when the isolation of Australia and the influence of a penal colony culture produced an environment in which the opportunity for distinctive‐ness flourished. In accent, there may still be grounds for considering the verbal behavior of some Australians as distinctive. The laconic nasal drawl still exists, but an extensive migration policy and technological change in the field of communication has facilitated a cultural setting in which interpersonal communication is more likely to be similar, rather than different, to that of other English speaking countries.

Key concepts:

• Australian communicators
• Australian language
• Aboriginal culture
• nonverbal
• gender
• historical impact
• accent
• strine
• Orstralian
• indigenous persons
• apprehension
• classroom communication