Acceptability and use of grammatical innovation in Australian English

Department of Linguistics 

Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences 

MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY   NSW   2109 

Participant Information and Consent Form 

Acceptability and use of grammatical innovation in Australian English 

You are invited to participate in a study of innovative grammar in Australian English. The purpose of the study is to determine how grammar is currently changing among speakers of Australian English.  

The study is being conducted by Alice Kneipp of the Department of Linguistics at Macquarie University. This study is being conducted to meet the requirements of a Doctor of Philosophy under the supervision of Dr Adam Smith (adam.smith@mq.edu.au) of the Department of linguistics. 

What is this study? 

If you decide to participate, you will be presented with 21 samples of language. You will be asked to rate each statement by how acceptable you think the grammar is on a scale from 1 (not acceptable at all) to 5 (very acceptable). After you have rated these sentences, you will be asked a few questions about yourself; we will also give you the option to provide your email address.  

Will I receive any remuneration for participating? 

If you choose to enter your email address after the survey is completed, you will go into the draw to win 1 of 5 $50 gift cards.  

Beyond this, there will be no direct or immediate benefit to you from assisting in this research; the benefit of this research is to provide an understanding of change in language in Australian English in line with Macquarie University’s priority for Resilient Societies. 

How will my data be used now and in the future? 

Any information or personal details gathered in the course of the study are confidential.  No individual will be identified in any publication of the results. Per Macquarie University's data management policy, data will be collected, stored, accessed, and managed by the researchers listed below. Any identifiable information will be coded or deleted to make data non-identifiable. Non-identifiable data will be put into a repository where only researchers doing similar work and who supply approved human ethics may reuse and re-analyse the data. Findings and non-identifiable information will be used in presentations and publications. 

If you would like to receive a summary of the findings of this study once the data has been fully analysed, please contact the research contact person listed below via email. 

Can I stop at any time? 

Participation in this study is entirely voluntary: you are not obliged to participate and if you decide to participate, you are free to withdraw at any time without having to give a reason and without consequence. Simply close the survey without submitting, and your responses will be deleted. You will have the opportunity to withdraw your responses up to 10 weeks after your participation. After this, you will be unable to request data to be withdrawn as it will be analysed and anonymised. 

If you become upset or distressed as a result of your participation in the research project, the research team will be able to  recommend qualified organisations that you may contact free of charge. 

If you do experience distress and require immediate assistance, please consider contacting a known health professional such as a GP, or contacting the following hotlines: 

If you decide you want to take part in the research project, you will be asked to click the “I Agree” box below. By clicking the “I Agree” box below, you are telling us that you: 

• Understand what you have read  

• Consent to take part in the research project  

• Consent to the tests and research that are described  

•  Consent to the use of your de-identified information as described 

The ethical aspects of this study have been approved by the Macquarie University Human Research Ethics Committee. If you have any complaints or reservations about any ethical aspect of your participation in this research, you may contact the Committee through the Director, Research Ethics & Integrity (telephone (02) 9850 7854; email ethics@mq.edu.au).  Any complaint you make will be treated in confidence and investigated, and you will be informed of the outcome. 

Research contact persons