Some key features of the Australian accent are the schwa, /ə/, the non-rhotic /r/ sound (listen to an Australian say a word with the /r/ sound, and then listen to an American say the same word and you can here the distinct difference in the way that the /r/ phoneme is pronounced and stressed), heavily nasalised vowel ...
TIP #15: Find some “trigger” words to help you get into Aussie character. Try saying the words: Australian (Strayan), like, might, right, fight, dire, mate, date, no, hat, water bottle, catching, running, and together. If you can master the sounds of words that you are comfortable with, you can move on to new words!
“How ya goin'?” “How ya goin'?” is the ultimate Aussie greeting. If you're not from Australia, this mash-up of “How are you?” and “Where are you going?” might leave you a little perplexed. If it helps, think of how the Brits say “y'alright?” - it requires no detailed response.
G'day (guh-day) / Hello.
1. G'day. One of the first things you'll hear when in Australia, is the classic “G'day, mate”, which is basically the same as saying, “good day”, or “hello”. So feel free to use this one from day 1 and watch the smiles around you as people respond with, “g'day mate”, which means “hello, friend”.
Like the equivalent Australian term of “mate”, “bro” can be applied to all manner of people, with the difference in meaning only distinguishable by tone. There's “good to see you bro”, which should be taken as a friendly greeting.
"The most challenging Australian word I've ever seen for Americans to pronounce is 'Cairns. ' It's like it uses a vowel they just don't have. They really want to pronounce the 'r' in it, whereas Aussies rarely pronounce 'r' unless it's at the start of the syllable."
2 syllables: "YEL" + "oh"
According to linguists, there are three main kinds of Aussie accent: broad (think former Prime Minister Bob Hawke), general (closer to Kevin Rudd) and cultivated (like Malcolm Fraser).
While some Australian speakers would pronounce “no” as a diphthong, starting on “oh” as in dog and ending on “oo” as in put, others begin with an unstressed “a” (the sound at the end of the word “sofa”), then move to the “oh” and then “oo”.
Australian English often contains higher levels of nasal resonance to oral resonance. Resonance refers to voice acoustics and is determined by where the bulk of sound vibration from the voice is reinforced in the your face.
It surely sounds strange to those who are familiar with American or British English, but it is a very common expression in Australia. G'day is a shortened form of 'Good Day' and it is the equivalent of 'Hello.
Sheila = Girl
Yes, that is the Australian slang for girl.
What does it mean? Another word for friend. Common in Britain as well, but used even more enthusiastically by Aussies, who pepper the ends of their sentences with a longer, stretched out “maaaaate” that conveys friendliness and establishes a relaxed bond between the speakers.
Residents of Victoria and South Australia call the large sized beer a “pint,” while in all other states it's called a “schooner” (pronounced “skooner”).
“Mate” is a popular word for friend. And while it's used in other English-speaking countries around the world, it has a special connection to Australia. In the past, mate has been used to address men, but it can be gender-neutral. In Australia, you'll also hear mate used in an ironic sense.
Cheeky: Used widely in Aboriginal Australia, the word cheeky isn't only used to refer to insolence but also behaviour that is dangerous. A dog prone to biting people, for example, would be described as “cheeky”.