For the first time ever the story of Australian English is about to be told in full. Speaking our Language is written for people who want to know where Australian English came from, what the forces were that moulded it, why it takes its present form, and where it is going.

The sub-title of this book, The Story of Australian English, derives in part from the chronological story that the book traces: the story begins with Joseph Banks and Captain James Cook in 1770, and it continues to the present day, when Australian English is firmly established as the natural and national language of Australia. It is a ‘story’ in another sense as well: the story of the development of Australian English is inextricably intertwined with the stories of Australian history and culture, and of the development of Australian identity.