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Four Corners: Pretty polly How politicians speak

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Two men sit in conversation on couch
Four Corners: Pretty polly How politicians speak

SUBJECTS:  English, History

YEARS:  9–10


If politicians are the 'voice of the people', does their way of speaking resemble that of the people?

In this clip from 1975, listen to Professor John S Gunn describe what he sees as a uniquely Australian rhythm of speech.

Then see how many similarities and differences you can find as you listen to some brilliant imitations of famous Australian politicians' voices.


Things to think about

  1. 1.How would you describe the rhythm of your speech? Are there some sounds that you tend to lengthen more than others? Are you inclined to hurry your speech or to pause at times? Think about some of the most experienced public speakers in Australia, our politicians. Do the voices of the two major party leaders currently differ from one another? Are they similar in any way?
  2. 2.Professor Gunn refers to a uniquely Australian 'rhythm' and 'musical pattern' of speaking. He suggests that it is 'duration' that characterises this rhythm. What four components of speech does the professor suggest are the determinants of duration? Which component of speech does Prof. Gunn indicate is 'truly Australian'? How do the voices of former prime ministers Sir William McMahon (Liberal) and Gough Whitlam (Labor) differ from one another?
  3. 3.Journalist Mike Carlton performs a very good imitation of former prime minister Gough Whitlam. Which of the four components of the rhythm pattern identified by Prof. Gunn are apparent in Mr Whitlam's speech? Towards the end of the clip, journalist Paul Murphy imitates former Labor prime minister Bob Hawke. Does Mr Hawke's speech resemble Prof. Gunn's suggested rhythm pattern?
  4. 4.

    Choose an Australian politician with a distinct way of speaking. Listen carefully to a recording of their speech and note all of the features of their way of talking; eg, emphasis on certain sounds, pauses, variety in tone, nasal quality, pace. Then repeat the task using a recording of a politician from another English-speaking country. What significant differences do you notice? Can you identify elements of speech that make it 'truly Australian'?



Date of broadcast: 1 Aug 1975


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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