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Australian English: General Australian English
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General Australian English is the middle ground. It is used by most Australians, and can be heard in Australian-made films and television programs. Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman speak General Australian English.
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Spoken Australian English is generally more tolerant of offensive and/or abusive language than other variants. A famous exponent was the former Prime Minister Paul Keating , who referred in parliament to opponents as a "mangy maggot", a "stupid foul-mouthed grub" and so on. He drew ire from then Malaysian leader Dr Mahatir Mohammed for calling him a recalcitrant. The widespread desire among Australians to avoid pomposity, or even polite, formal or dignified speech, is sometimes seen as reflecting a suspicion of success in general, a phenomenon sometimes known as the tall poppy syndrome .
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Australian English incorporates many terms that Australians consider to be unique to their country. One of the best-known of these is outback which means a remote, sparsely-populated area. The similar bush can mean either native forests, or country areas in general. However, both terms are historically widely used in many English-speaking countries. Many such words, phrases or usages originated with the British convicts transported to Australia. Many words used frequently by country Australians are, or were... used in all or part of England, with variations in meaning.
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Australian English incorporates many uniquely Australian terms. One of the best-known of these is outback which means remote, sparsely-populated areas. The similar bush can mean either native forests, or country areas in general. Many such words, phrases or usages originated with the British convicts transported to Australia. Many words used frequently by country Australians are, or were... used in all or part of England, with variations in meaning. For example: a creek in Australia is any stream or small river, whereas in England it is a small watercourse flowing into the sea; paddock is the Australian word for a field, while in England it is a small enclosure for livestock and; wooded areas in Australia are known as bush or scrub , while in England, they are commonly used only in proper names (such as Shepherd's Bush and Wormwood Scrubs ).
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For instance, spoken Australian English is generally more tolerant of offensive and/or abusive language than other variants. A famous exponent was the former Prime Minister Paul Keating, who referred in Parliament to various political opponents as a "mangy maggot", a "stupid foul-mouthed grub", and so on.
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Hi Sabrina, Australian English uses British spelling, not American, although this is changing because of the influence of American media and music. In regards to accent, the Australian accent is uniform across Australia, there are no regional accents. In regards to vocabulary, slang is widely used by all social classes, from the Prime Minister to labourers. There are 3 types of Australian English: Broad Australian, used by the lower classes, General Australian, used by the middle classes, and Educated Australian, spoken by the upper classes. Having said this, Australia does not have the class differences that Britain has, or classes based on education that America has, society is more egalitarian. There are some words derived from Aboriginal terms ("Billabong: water hole").
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