What does the "Canberra accent" sound like?

Maya123 said :

John Moulis said :

I’ve noticed variations between Canberra and Queanbeyan. For example Canberrans call a suitcase a port, whereas Queanbeyanites call it a bag or a case. Also people in Belco say Newcassle whereas people in Tuggers call it Newcarsle. People in Woden say devon whereas people in Gungahlin call it strass. The further south you go the more Scottish the accent sounds, for example people in Banks say “a wee bit” a lot. Note: The preceding is meant to be read with a touch of sarcasm 🙂

Never, never heard a suitcase here called a port in over thirty years by a Canberran. That’s a Queensland and northern NSW thing (I know that from having lived there), so maybe the person you heard say that came from one of those areas. It’s not a Canberra word.

I thought I made clear in the last sentence that this post was satirical. I was transposing regional variations from other parts of Australia and New Zealand onto Canberra and thus attempting to be humorous. Satire and sarcasm were quite common on the old RiotACT, it seems people have forgotten about it already.

Rollersk8r said :

rubaiyat said :

To me it is somewhere between Patagonian Welsh and Tuvan throat singing, but it varies even within the ACT.

It is a little bit like getting a Kiwi to say “six” or a Canadian to say “about”

Get somebody from Tuggeranong to say “tram” and you can pick the Tuggers whine instantly. 😉

I think you’re on to something with the pronunciation of certain words. Everyone from Canberra calls it “Canbra”. Barely two syllables.

Whereas I know a few interstate people, who’ve lived here for ten years, who still say it like wrapping their tongue around a foreign technical term “Can-ber-RA”.

One of my pet hates from outsiders is calling us Can-berry-uns.

We’re Canberrans.

rubaiyat said :

To me it is somewhere between Patagonian Welsh and Tuvan throat singing, but it varies even within the ACT.

It is a little bit like getting a Kiwi to say “six” or a Canadian to say “about”

Get somebody from Tuggeranong to say “tram” and you can pick the Tuggers whine instantly. 😉

I think you’re on to something with the pronunciation of certain words. Everyone from Canberra calls it “Canbra”. Barely two syllables.

Whereas I know a few interstate people, who’ve lived here for ten years, who still say it like wrapping their tongue around a foreign technical term “Can-ber-RA”.

John Moulis said :

I’ve noticed variations between Canberra and Queanbeyan. For example Canberrans call a suitcase a port, whereas Queanbeyanites call it a bag or a case. Also people in Belco say Newcassle whereas people in Tuggers call it Newcarsle. People in Woden say devon whereas people in Gungahlin call it strass. The further south you go the more Scottish the accent sounds, for example people in Banks say “a wee bit” a lot. Note: The preceding is meant to be read with a touch of sarcasm 🙂

Never, never heard a suitcase here called a port in over thirty years by a Canberran. That’s a Queensland and northern NSW thing (I know that from having lived there), so maybe the person you heard say that came from one of those areas. It’s not a Canberra word.

It’s a mix of Sydney and Melbourne, though Melbourne accent has noticeably morphed over the last decade or so, eg (weirdly) they now say they love in MALbourne, but pronounce the name ‘Malcolm’ as MELcolm. Maybe there are too many Kiwis there now!

I’ve noticed variations between Canberra and Queanbeyan. For example Canberrans call a suitcase a port, whereas Queanbeyanites call it a bag or a case. Also people in Belco say Newcassle whereas people in Tuggers call it Newcarsle. People in Woden say devon whereas people in Gungahlin call it strass. The further south you go the more Scottish the accent sounds, for example people in Banks say “a wee bit” a lot. Note: The preceding is meant to be read with a touch of sarcasm 🙂

To me it is somewhere between Patagonian Welsh and Tuvan throat singing, but it varies even within the ACT.

It is a little bit like getting a Kiwi to say “six” or a Canadian to say “about”

Get somebody from Tuggeranong to say “tram” and you can pick the Tuggers whine instantly. 😉

I get a lot of being mistaken for a Brit (even by Brits) but I do have a plummy accent – a lot like Whitlam’s, I think. Around Canberra I hear all three of the recognised variations on Australian English (broad, general, cultivated – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variation_in_Australian_English#Broad.2C_general_and_cultivated_Australian) although I think even the cultivated register has lost it compared to those lovely plummy intonations you hear in old ABC broadcasts.

But more importantly, where do you stand on the potato scallop vs potato cake dilemma?

My brother and I were brought up in Canberra. Our history includes Higgins Primary, St John the Apostle, SFX, Marist Bros Pearce. We pretty much watched the same TV together.

I have the toff-ish Canberra accent, my brother doesn’t (but neither does he have the Aussie drawl mate).

I suspect the Canberra Accent might be common to people who were raised around pommy bastards like diplomats, senior plublic service in the ’70s, ten bob Poms, etc.

Oh, and Tom Baker as Dr Who, which I watched more faithfully than my brother.

Matt Watts said :

There is no accent. There have been strong influences from Melbourne and regional NSW over the long term, but nothing is dominant.

No, no, don’t say that. The Melbourne accent is one of the worst. Now you have me worried, as lately I have been less able to recognise it. Now from your comments I’m thinking that might be because I’ve developed a bit of a Melbourne accent. Nooooo…..

Fascinated to know that “it’s a thing” – age and susceptibility to media/popular culture fashions, rather than location, seem to be much greater influences.

Born here and whenever interstate get asked where my accent is from. Mainly get asked if British but my mum is so people attribute it to that. Even so I think my friends and family do speak with an accent. Certain words like Civic or Canberra give away a Canberra born n bred every time. I’m a northsider and cant speak for the Tuggers booners but I definitely think we have an accent here despite the transient nature of Canberra and the influx of interstaters over the last couple of decades.

There is no accent. There have been strong influences from Melbourne and regional NSW over the long term, but nothing is dominant.

I’d never thought about whether Canberrans have an accent. I would have assumed no, because we’re such a transient population that we get a bit of a mix of everything.

That said, I’m pretty sure the bogan drawl gets stronger the further into Tuggeranong you go. As a former Tuggeranong-er, I think it’s okay to say that 😉

Are we talking north or south?

I spent a while in the western suburbs of sydney and was regularly asked where my accent came from, I’ve lived in canberra my whole life.
my theory is that canberrans tend to speak with a cross between a general and cultivated accent which causes the confusion.

Rollersk8r said :

People always picked me as British over Australian while in Canada and USA too, which is a common mistake, I guess?

I can’t comment on Canadians, but based on my experience living there, Americans are useless at identifying accents.

I even had one ask if I was Irish based on my accent.

I was born and schooled in Canberra – all public schools too. My country NSW in-laws tease me for talking like an British toff. Why do you talk posh?

People always picked me as British over Australian while in Canada and USA too, which is a common mistake, I guess?