Torres Strait English

This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.

Torres Strait English (called by its speakers T.I. English) is a

General Australian English

.

Its main phonological characteristic is the retention of English [iː] and [uː] where Australian English has [əi] and [əu] (for example, wheel [ˈwiːl] rather than [ˈwəil], fool [ˈfuːl] rather than [ˈfəul]), while where grammar and the like are concerned, Torres Strait English shows a certain amount of post-Creole characteristics, such as the phrase You for [adjective] (e.g. You for style!) for the English You look/are really [adjective] (You are a real show-off!, alt. You are real cool!), and the almost mandatory use of second personal pronouns in the imperative. Other characteristics of T.I. English follow general non-standard dialects of English such as the use of done for did, run for ran, come for came (i.e. a four-way verb system of present-past-infinitive—ing-form for all verbs), and oncet for once. This is a

non-rhotic accent

, like Australian and New Zealand dialects.

T.I. English is not a post-creole form, but rather an independent development from the English of the early European settlers, most of whom were from various parts of the world. Relatively few were native-born White Australians. The input dialects were British of various types including Irish, Jamaican and others. Substratum languages include Malay, Japanese, Chinese, Jamaican Creole, Samoan,

Brokan

and so on.

Bellevue group		Aipus Cap Kamutnab Keatinge Mabuiag Pulu Subur Warakuikul Talab Widul
Bourke group	Aukane Aureed Kabbikane Layoak Mimi Roberts Yam
Duncan group	Kanig Maitak Meth
Inner group	Port Lihou Yeta
Adolphus Channel group	Albany Bush Eborac Ida Middle Brother
Talbot group	Aubussi Boigu Moimi
The Three Sisters group	Bet Poll Sue
Yorke group	Keats Marsden Rennel Smith
Ungrouped	Allison Anchor Arden Badu Barn Barney Bond Booby Bramble Browne Campbell Canoe Castle Coconut Crab Dalrymple Darnley Dauan Dayman Deliverance Dove Dugong Dumaralug East East Strait Entrance Farewell Flat Friday Gabba Getullai Goods Great Woody Green Halfway Hammond Hawkesbury High Horn Kaumag Kerr Lacey Little Adolphus Little Woody Lowry Mai Meddler Moa Morilug Mouinndo Mount Adolphus Mount Ernest Murangi Murray Nepean Nicklin North North Possession North West Obelisk Packe Passage Pearce Phipps Portlock Prince of Wales Quoin Red Red Wallis Roko Saddle Saibai Salter Sassie Spencer Stephens Suarji Thursday Tobin Travers Tree Trochus Tudu Tukupai Turnagain Turtle Head Turtle Turu Twin Underdown Wednesday West Whale Woody Wallis York Yorke Zagai

Notable Torres Strait Islanders	Christine Anu Seaman Dan Aaron Fa'aoso Josh Hoffman Nathan Jawai Ellen Jose Robert Lui Eddie Mabo Rachael Maza Patty Mills Rita Mills Mills Sisters Danny Morseu Tanu Nona Albert Proud Wendell Sailor Sam Thaiday Brent Webb Jesse Williams
Culture	Indigenous music of Australia Mabo (film) Taba Naba
Communities	Bamaga Kaurareg Mabuiag Meriam (people) Seisia
Languages	Bine Eastern Trans-Fly Gizrra Kalaw Lagaw Ya Meriam Torres Strait Creole Torres Strait English Wipi

Governance	Shire of Torres Torres Strait Islander Flag Torres Strait Island Region Torres Strait Regional Authority
Legal cases and principles	Akiba v Commonwealth Mabo v Queensland No 1 No 2 Terra nullius

Further reading