Weak vowels

The unstressed vowels in lettER, horsES and commA are realized with a wide range of different qualities around the vowel space of [ə], depending on the context. The unstressed vowel in happY is generally realized as [i], although broad variants can show dipthongization here. In Aboriginal English schwa is typically replaced either by the mid central vowel /Λ/ or by a low central vowel /a/.

Widespread throughout New Zealand and Australia is the pronunciation of the past participles of the nine verbs – grown, flown, blown, known, mown, sewn, shown, sown and thrown – as disyllables (hence, for example, [groʊən] and [floʊən]). In New Zealand both pronunciations are regarded equally correct; in Australia the disyllabic variant still attracts widespread condemnation.