https://www.theguardian.com/media/mind-your-language/2016/sep/09/we-need-to-be-careful-about-demanding-migrants-speak-english

• 'As a standalone statement, I don’t dispute it: if you live in another country... attempting to learn the language will make life far easier.'

• 'It is utterly deplorable to intimidate and scorn somebody on the basis of their language. But worse, it demonstrates how the goalposts are constantly shifting for the non-native speaker; not only do they have to meet an arbitrary standard of English set by the listener, woe betide them if they ever slip into their own language for a few moments.'

• 'It is more important than ever that we meet foreign nationals with support and solidarity, rather than unquantifiable expectations and oversimplified demands.'

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/how-multiculturalism-is-changing-the-way-we-speak

• 'If Australian English was trademarked, an obvious characteristic would be its prolific use of slang, punctuated by colloquial expressions and a tendency to shorten words, most of which is done unconsciously. It’s something that can often leave foreigners puzzled.'

• 'For years new migrants have been adopting Australian slang, but the rest of Australia is now assuming their lingo. "Cultural borrowings" are beginning to flourish," Professor Pillar said.

• 'Professor Pillar says migrants whose first language is not English tend to develop a variation of their native tongue during the process of learning the new language.'

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/dec/31/one-way-speak-english-standard-spoken-british-linguistics-chomsky

• 'Non-standard English is linguistically the equal of the standard version – in fact, dialects tend to be more sophisticated grammatically than standard (as in the plural "youse" of many non-standard dialects where standard has just one confusing form). Yet standard continues – even now – to be prized as the "correct" form, and any deviation is considered to be wrong, lazy, corrupt or ignorant.'

• 'And in any informal, middle-class context, from office email to pub chat, non-standard usage will be noticed by standard speakers, who will judge that non-standard user to be at least unsophisticated, probably uneducated and very possibly a bit thick.'

https://www.chronicle.com/article/We-Must-Help-Students-Master/243079

• 'Like any other language, English can be used to express bigotry or hatred, and certain words may have offensive roots or connotations (like "uppity" and "hysteria"). But no language is inherently discriminatory. Language itself is merely a tool — one that students must learn to use well if they are to be successful in their chosen professions.'

• 'Students, then, have a vested interest in mastering SAE: It literally pays off for them, as those who are more proficient tend to be more easily hired and more successful on the job.'

• 'A good friend of mine grew up in a very small town in the Deep South.... All too often, other educated professionals assumed that he must be a stupid redneck, simply because he sounded like their idea of a stupid redneck. His accent became such a professional handicap that he actually went back to college and took elocution classes in the drama department to mitigate it (which helped, by the way).'

• 'As academics, we rose to positions of privilege and authority based in large part on our ability to "speak the language. Our objective as educators ought to be to help them attain what we have attained, if not more — and language proficiency is a necessary prerequisite.'

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/weekend-australian-magazine/what-is-australian-culture-now/news-story/bd80f71dd063d6efce43b77da6d81d45

• 'It’s as if Australian culture is soft and malleable; we’re a mightily suggestible people. Americans are unimpressed by anything outside America. We Australians are impressed by everything outside Australia. We’re ever ready to absorb other cultures, especially where we think a behavioural trait might reflect material success or cultural sophistication. We’re kinda needy, that way.'

• 'I want a culture that references our indigeneity, that projects our tolerance, that speaks to our youth, and that cultivates our unbridled ambition for the future.'

• 'Culture isn’t something that happens along the way of life, by accident; it is a powerful dividend of a people who know who they are and where they’re headed.'

Contention: While non-standard varieties of English are crucial and should be valued for their ability to express the unique diversity of the Australian people, Standard Australian English (SAE) must remain and be recognised as the most prestigious and important variety in order to unify society.

Para #1: Non-standard ethnocultural varieties of Australian English play an important role in expressing and forging the identities and histories of communities.

Evidence: AAE- Lydia Thorpe, Blak, etc.

Evidence: Nonna, Yiaya

Para #2: Non-standard English use is key to living and embodying Australian identities and insistence on Standard is counter to Australian values

Source B- "you don't want to be one of those boring grammar Nazis"

Evidence: Bloody

Evidence:

Para #3: SAE is the most widely used and already provides the key to success through its dominance in all public domains so should be retained in order to unify the diverse Australian society.

Source A or D- "inability to use English correctly can have real consequences" or "times when only your Sunday best will do".

Evidence:

Evidence:

Sample Essays

While SAE undoubtedly holds the greatest prestige in professional and academic life in Australia, it is non-standard varieties, particularly slang, that hold the greatest power in forging links and creating social cohesion. The flexibility and innovation allowed in non-Standard varieties aid in Australian society in responding to changes in the world and finding new ways to connect or deal with societal problems. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the crucial role Australian slang holds in creating a sense of community and shared experience. The rise of neologisms such as the shortenings "rona" (coronavirus) and "iso" (isolation) and the suffixation "sany" (hand sanitiser) are a few of slang terms that have arisen in Australian society to describe and share the difficult experiences of Australians, with the informality they confer helping to reduce the severity or *** felt under the difficult**** , to "cope with the stress and uncertainty" (ABC News, May 2020) of the pandemic. *****CQU linguist Celeste Lawson explains that non-standard varieties "give us a shared understanding and brings us closer together", the very opposite of the distance, prestige and authority fundamental to SAE; the very reason SAE must share its importance with other varieties.

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Samples by Teachers