‘Makes Me Feel More Aussie’: Ethnic Identity and Vocative Mate in Australia

Abstract

A ‘quintessentially Australian’ feature of English, vocative mate has been said to carry a special connection with Australian identity and culture. However, precisely how this can be measured is yet to be established. This paper analyses the reported use of vocative mate by Australians of a Non-English Speaking Background (NESB) and its relation to self-perceived ethnic identity. Data collected from 101 participants demonstrate that overall, usage patterns for NESB Australians are similar to those reported for Australians from an English-speaking background, with males claiming to use the term more overall, but females claiming to use it with a wider range of addressees (and thus, appearing to move away from the traditional masculine and Anglo-Australian associations of mate). The present study also reveals that use of vocative mate correlates with perceived ethnic orientation as determined by an ‘Ethnic Orientation Questionnaire’. A positive correlation was found between orientation towards ethnic heritage and a lesser use of vocative mate, suggesting that, for these speakers, use of mate is related to affiliation with Australian society, or as one participant put it, ‘gives a sense of an Australian identity despite skin colour’.