AUSTRALIAN SPEECH

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22046, 28 February 1935, Page 8

AUSTRALIAN SPEECH

CRITICISM AND DEFENCE ENGLISH VISITOR'S VIEWS [fbom oub own correspondent] SYDNEY, Feb. 21 Australian speech is continually being the subject of discussion by visitors to this land, teachers of elocution, newspaper letter writers, Judges and a host of others. Some praise; most criticise. Some say Australians speak like Cockneys; others, like Americans. , Judge Ourlewis often corrects witnesses and barristers in their use of English. Broadcasting announcers receive many reproaches. Within the last few dajs .there has been a series of sidelights on this always interesting topic. Mr. C. N. Baeyertz, a recognised expert on the subject, expressed the opinion, in a luncheon address, that the average Australian voice was unpleasant, colourless and often feeble, although it was not as unpleasant as ' the average Americam voice, with its sharpened vowels. Mr. Baeyertz said that there was a widespread belief that good English should not be spoken. Among schoolboys there was an idea that it, was "cissy" to use good English, and some boys who were naturally good speakers were bullied because of their speech. Teachers, as well as parents, should be taught to correct ' defective utterance of the elements o{ , speech in children, said Mr. Baeyertz. Many public speakers lacked a knowledge of the technique of speech, and their listeners wondered why they were dull and uninteresting. People created melody every time 1 they spoke, good or bad, but mostly bad. It was by good melody that a speaker conveyed effectively what he had to say. Most people suffered from "tone blindness," and thus were poor speakers. A colourblind man was an exception, but the average person was tone-blind. V An English visitor, Mr. A. K. Bloomfield. a format- headmaster of Winchester College, defended Australian speech and said that criticism of it overseas was unwarranted. Having conversed with two Australian workmen, and later overheard them talking when they thought him out of hearing, Mr. Bloomfield said he formed the opinion that they had a dual language, one for visitors and another •when talking among themselves. "I - listened to thd speech of coal-trimmers and other waterside workers at ports visited," he said, "and J consider the Australian workman speaks extremely ; well and is courteous and obliging. .1 found it hard to understand the language, they talked among themselves, but ijj/was more fluent and descriptive than 'anything else in the world. There is no saying one dialect is better than Mother. It, is as logical to say that jH. Australians speak badly as to say that 7 the Kentish and Lancashire dialects / not English." ' ' ' bit:-' :