With the publication of the Handbook of Varieties of English (Schneider et al 2004), comparable descriptions of the phonology, morphology and syntax of some 60 varieties of English and of English-related creoles were brought together in two large volumes.  Subsequently, in a project based at Freiburg University, the body of international scholars engaged in that project were invited to contribute to a comparative documentation of grammatical features in the varieties which had been described. This resulted in the so-called “WAVE Matrix” which recorded the presence, absence and relative prevalence of 235 grammatical variant features in over 50 varieties.  

 This paper draws, for the first time, on data from this matrix to examine Aboriginal English in terms of its relatedness to Australian English (general and vernacular), Australian creoles (Kriol and Torres Strait Creole) and varieties of English from Ireland and the South of England. It provides evidence of the nature, the extent and the areas of overlap between Aboriginal English and these varieties, helping to strengthen a case for regarding Aboriginal English as a variety distinct from Australian English and also from creoles, as well as incorporating significant residual influence from Irish English.

 It is suggested that the information yielded by this study has important implications for policy and practice in the teaching of standard English as an additional dialect.