Towards an ‘Australian voice’: A.G. Mitchell and debates over Australian speech, 1940–1960

Abstract

This article examines language ideologies around the Australian English accent in 1940s and 1950s Australia. Through the middle decades of the twentieth century, debates about the Australian accent and its relationship to Australian identity were reconfigured. Concerns about effective communication, Australia’s role on the world stage, modernity, and national belonging were all reflected in commentary around the Australian voice. A.G. Mitchell emerged as a key figure advocating for an ‘educated Australian’ accent and his public advocacy and work with the ABC was central to changing public understandings of the Australian voice during this period.