Suprasegmentals

Generally, the stress patterns of Aboriginal English are comparable to those of Australian English, except for the tendency (observed also in Kriol) to stress initial syllables, resulting in pronunciations like /'kæŋgru/ ‘kangaroo’ and /'tibi/  ‘TV’. Some Western Desert languages tend towards syllable timing, which reflects on the stress patterns of Aboriginal English speakers in these areas.

As in Australian creoles, the intonation patterns are generally compatible with those of Australian English, but the expression of prolonged or repeated action (as in Kriol) is accompanied by a rise in pitch and the repetition or lengthening of the vowel in the relevant word, as in

A rise of pitch and a slowing down of pace may occur wherever emphasis is being sought, as in, as in bi-i-iggest shark ‘very big shark’ (Eagleson, Kaldor and Malcolm 1982: 88) or We bin go wi-i-i-ight aroun ebrywhere ‘We went all around’. The high final level intonation of Aboriginal English, as in

enhances narrative effect. Unlike the high rise terminal of Australian English, it is level, not rising, and does not function as an attention holding device.

A number of scholars (Sharpe 1976: 5; Alexander 1968) have commented on the relatively high speed of Queensland Aboriginal English, particularly among children. Sharpe (1976: 5) suggests that, in this regard, Queensland Aboriginal children’s speech may contrast with that of their Alice Springs counterparts.

Aboriginal English vocal quality can vary distinctly from that of Australian English. Sharpe (1976: 4) has observed the huskiness of the pronunciation of Aboriginal children in Alice Springs at low volume, which contrasts with its penetrating quality at high volume and has attributed this to “feudalization, or tightening of the faucal pillars at the back of the mouth.”