Uptalk in Australian English Intonation

Abstract

Australian English speakers often use rising instead of falling intonation at the end of sentences which are not questions. This phenomenon of uptalk is one of the unique traits of the Australian English accent. The project will model uptalk by analyzing spoken dialogues from 150 speakers from three major populations, Sydney, Melbourne, and regional Victoria. The intonation patterns of regional and non-Sydney populations have been poorly investigated, so this kind of study is needed to get a more complete understanding of Australian English intonation and the Australian accent. Outcomes will include publications on intonation and laboratory phonology, sociophonetics, and a working model of i..