Every word is generated based on the phonotactic constraints of Australian English – specifically, my idiolect. This is done by collecting a list of all possible onsets (initial consonant clusters), nucelei (vowels), and codas (final consonant clusters) of syllables of Australian English. These sections are then combined into a syllable, to which various phonetic processes are applied to. For instance, when a vowel is a falling diphthong (such as the vowel sounds in ride, boy or lake) and followed by an /l/ sound, a small sound (/ə/) is inserted in between. Around 100 lines of similar phonetic and orthographic (spelling) changes are applied. The syllable is then combined with 0-3 other syllables to create a word. The word is then finally put through a filter that will regenerate the word if it contains anything resembling a slur.
| Transcription | Example Word | Transcription | Example Word |
|---|---|---|---|
| /m/ | Make | /ə/ | Around |
| /n/ | Night | /e/ | Eggs |
| /ŋ/ | haNG | /æ/ | Apple |
| /p/ | Pest | /ɪ/ | Inch |
| /b/ | Bounce | /ɐ/ | Under |
| /t/ | Tell | /ɔ/ | Operate |
| /d/ | Deal | /ʉw/ | OOdles |
| /k/ | King | /ɪj/ | EAgle |
| /g/ | Girl | /oː/ | ORgan |
| /tʃ/ | CHild | /ɐː/ | ARctic |
| /dʒ/ | Just | /ʌw/ | Over |
| /f/ | Fight | /æj/ | Ace |
| /v/ | Vouch | /ɑj/ | Item |
| /θ/ | THink | /ʊ/ | gOOd |
| /ð/ | THat | /eː/ | AIR |
| /s/ | Six | /ɘː/ | EARn |
| /z/ | Zebra | /æw/ | OUter |
| /ʃ/ | SHeep | /oj/ | OIntment |
| /ʒ/ | Genre | /ʊː/ | tandOOR |
| /h/ | Hope | ||
| /ɹ/ | Round | ||
| /l/ | Lost | ||
| /j/ | Yellow | ||
| /w/ | Woman |
The pronunciation is transcribed with my own system, based on the 1997 Australian English transcription system by Harrington, Cox, and Evans (HCE). My transcription removes the vowels /ʊə/ and /ɪə/, as they make up two syllables worth of vowels in my accent: /ʉwə/ and /ɪjə/ respectively. I have also added the sound /ʊː/ which, for me, appears in words like "tandoor", "Kalgoorlie", and "pool". I consider this to be a distinct phoneme from /ʊ/, /ʉw/, and the removed vowel /ʊə/ as it can appear in the same environment as them: compare "tandoor" /tɐːndʊː/ to "endure" /əndʒʉwə/ and "undo" /ɐndʉw/, and compare pool /pʊːl/ to pull /pʊl/. HCE transcription also considers the vowels in "hang" and "jam" (among others) to be /æ/ whereas I would describe them as /e/ and /eː/ respectively. I believe these sounds, once allophones of /æ/, are now allophones of the phonemes found in words like "bet" and "pair". They can also appear in the same pre-nasal environment as /æ/ with distinct pronunciations: compare "Nan" /næn/ to "ban" /beːn/, and "bang" /bæŋ/ to "hang" /heŋ/. Another decision has been to change many of the vowels to end in /j/ and /w/. The justification for this change is explained brilliantly in this video by Dr Geoff Lindsey. He describes these changes in relation to Southern Standard British English, but the same applies to Australian English. Another video of his describes how stops are better transcribed as voiced when following /s/ in the onset, which I have incorporated into my transcription system too. I also transcribe the vowel in "goat" as /ʌw/ to differentiate it from a sequence of /ə/ and /w/, as seen in words like "graduate (n.)" /gɹædʒəwət/. I also transcribe HCE's /ɜː/ as /ɘː/ to better represent its location in the vowel space.