Study Design 2024–2028 (VCAA). Register: I = informal, F = formal, U4 = Unit 4 variety/identity emphasis. Entries are organised by subsystem, then subcategory. Use the search box to filter every table at once.
Register chips: informal formal Unit 4 / variation & identity both / general
The VCAA authorises IPA transcription of English as described by Harrington, Cox & Evans (1997), with the vowel symbols now conventionally revised per Cox & Fletcher (2015) as used in current VCE materials. Australian English: non-rhotic (post-vocalic /r/ unsounded), ~24 consonant and ~20 vowel phonemes.
| Manner | Bilabial | Labiodental | Dental | Alveolar | Post-alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stop (plosive) | p b | t d | k ɡ | ʔ | ||||
| Fricative | f v | θ ð | s z | ʃ ʒ | h | |||
| Affricate | tʃ dʒ | |||||||
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ | |||||
| Lateral approximant | l | |||||||
| Approximant (rhotic) | r | |||||||
| Glide (semi-vowel) | w | j |
| Set | Symbols & keywords |
|---|---|
| Monophthongs | iː heed · ɪ hid · e head · æ had · ɐː hard · ɐ hud · ɔ hod · oː hoard · ʊ hood · ʉː who'd · ɜː heard · ə the (schwa) |
| Diphthongs | æɪ hayed · ɑe hide · oɪ hoyd · əʉ hoed · æɔ how'd · ɪə hear'd · eə haired |
Transcription tips: transcribe the STRESSED syllable most carefully; unstressed syllables default to ə or ɪ; mark elision by omission and assimilation by the changed symbol; check diphthongs double-part — ɑe (price) starts low-back, unlike æɪ (face) which starts low-front. A changed sound must be matched to its connected-speech process (assimilation / elision / insertion / vowel reduction).