Restricted respect registers and auxiliary languages

Abstract In the past it is likely that many Australian Languages used restricted respect registers and auxiliary languages. By now the best documented examples are to be found in northern Australia as these would have been early casualties as everyday forms of speech declined. This chapter deals not only with avoidance styles (including so called mother-in-law languages and brother-in-law languages) but also with initiate styles, bereavement styles, joking styles, teenagers’ language and baby talk. Because of the limited documentation across the continent, it is difficult to make generalizations about the nature and distribution of these ‘languages on the side’.