Greek in Australia also referred to as Greco-Australian or Australian Greek is a dialect of the Greek language that is spoken by the Greek diaspora in Australia. It is spoken by native Greek-speaking immigrants living in Australia as well as Australians of Greek descent.[1][2]
Characteristics
In the Greek language of Australia certain Greek words are replaced by Hellenised versions of English words. Although the exact number of speakers is unknown, researcher Anastasios Tamis suggests that the dialect is mostly spoken by second- and third-generation Greeks, however many first-generation Greeks and Greek immigrants to Australia have also adopted the dialect.[1]
Although the words brought into the dialect have English roots, these words were Hellenised in order to agree with modern Greek grammar rules. For example, the Greek word for "The book" is "Το βιβλίο" (To vivlío). In the Greco-Australian dialect, it is commonly referred to as "Το μπούκο" (To boúko). The additional omicron was added at the end to make it a neuter noun, allowing it to agree with Greek grammatical rules. Most adopted English words are neuter nouns in Greek.[3]
Greek surname conventions are that women use the genitive form of their family's last name typically until marriage, when they may adopt their husband's last name instead.[3] However, as the English language does not distinguish between masculine and feminine surnames, most Greek people in English-speaking countries, including the Greeks living in Australia and Australians of Greek descent, adopt their father's surname and, in accordance with given English surnames, they do not change it to its genitive form. As a result, the name "Μαρία Παπαδοπούλου" (Maria Papadopoúlou) is rendered as "Μαρία Παπαδόπουλος" (Maria Papadópoulos) in English-speaking countries, such as Australia, despite it breaking Greek grammatical conventions.[3] Writer Dean Kalimniou suggests that, as Greek immigrants adopt their parent's unaltered surname, they may at times end up using their mothers' last name instead, as is the case with Kalimniou's own family.[3]
Origin
The Greek spoken in Australia is based on standard Greek, which is spoken by approximately 13.5 million people worldwide.[4] The Greek Australian varieties have originated upon the immigration of Greeks to Australia. Most Greek immigrants were unable to speak English proficiently, so adopted some English words into their language in order to better communicate with Australian residents. It is also thought that these adoptions were made to help clear communication between Greek immigrants and their children, who were predominantly Greek speakers.[2]
The Greek language in Australia, functioning in a bilingual environment without diglossia under the influence of the dominant English language, is never homogenous and hardly ever self contained as it experiences serious functional limitations, restricted to a few language domains. During the last 170 years of Greek settlement in Australia, Greek migrants are undergoing language shift as a result of a number of socio-economic variables, including the new concepts that they meet in their new environment and naturally their language contact with the dominant language.
The development of the Greek varieties in Australia is attributed to the influence of the English language on Greek speakers in Australia. Most Greek Australians have not abandoned the Greek language, despite some being second or third-generation Australians.[6] Greco-Australian has also eased the learning of the Greek language for the Greek diaspora. The mix of the Greek and English languages is sometimes credited to factors including the dominance of the English language in Australia, the Australian educational system, interracial marriages, Greek institutions in Australia and the Greek Orthodox Church of Australia.[7]Ethnic segregation between Greek immigrants and Anglo-Celtic Australians may have also forced Greeks to adopt more English words in order to merge into Australian society.[8]
