For a New Zealander, both vowels in "women" are schwas, but the first vowel in "woman" is a short U sound (the same sound as "good"). A clear example of this can be found in how most Kiwis pronounce “fish and chips.” They’re likely to say something closer to fu… One rare exception can be found in the deep south, where locals still roll some of their Rs, much like their migrant ancestors. There are dozens (upon dozens) of English accents across the globe, but here’s a quick guide to the most notable. At the beginning of the 1800s it was the predominant language spoken in New Zealand, however, with the huge influx of European settlers, English soon took over. EAR NEW ZEALAND Our latest crime: merging our diphthongs, otherwise known as a sound that is comprised of two vowels that merge together. Unfortunately for newbies, the vowel fiddling doesn’t stop there. In 1966, an informal New Zealand English dictionary was published called. Phonologically New Zealand English (NZE) has the same 20-vowel phoneme system as British Received Pronunciation (RP), but the New Zealand phonemes are realised differently from RP. Its consonants d… Incase you’ve been living in an internet-proof cave, the New Zealand accent is officially the sexiest accent in the world.Take that, Australia. Make sure to listen for this one when you meet a Kiwi, as we like to chat and it would be “bed menace” (bad manners) to ignore the question. • New Zealand English is mostly non-rhotic (with linking and intrusive R), except for speakers with the so-called Southland burr, a semi-rhotic, Scottish-influenced dialect heard principally in Southland and parts of Otago. This article covers the phonological system of New Zealand English. Some claim the Australian accent has roots in its convict past and I have heard others mention Catholic Irish as well. The vast majority of New Zealanders pronounce "women" and "woman" differently. How did Australian English become distinct from British English? IPA ɹɪd). Although New Zealand English is predominantly non-rhotic, Southland and parts of Otago in the far south of New Zealand's South Island are rhotic from apparent Scottish influence. ... institutions to promote a system of perfect English pronunciation in these new … Fans of the TV show Flight of the Conchords will also have noticed that band member Bret struggles to introduce himself to New Yorkers, who hear his name as Brit. Depending on the word, varying degrees of anglicization are reflected in subsequent pronunciations. The first English-speaking settlers of New Zealand were Australian seal-hunters from the penal colony of Port Jackson (Sydney). Younger Southland speakers pronounce /ɹ/ in third term /ˌθɵːɹd ˈtɵːɹm/ (General NZE pronunciation: /ˌθɵːd ˈtɵːm/) but sometimes in fa… The New Zealand accent: a clue to New Zealand identity? There’s a rumor in New Zealand — the kind grandmothers like to tell small children — that says our ancestors had to speak with their mouths closed in order to keep their false teeth in. Correct pronunciation of the Maori place names and streets in NZ, mainly the North Island is very difficult, even for us European kiwis.. (2007) specifically to faithfully represent a New Zealand accent, which this article follows in most aspects (see the transcription systems table below). In our dialect, it’s increasingly difficult to hear the difference between hair, hear and here; beer and bear; as well as there, their and they’re. the closeness to Received Pronunciation), this article covers the accent as it is spoken by educated speakers, unless otherwise noted. This vowel shift was first noted in 1960s: the heightened "dress" vowel nudges the "kit" vowel, creating one of the most notable differences in our accent. Here’s how to keep them straight. The anglicisations have persisted most among residents of the towns in question, so it has become something of a shibboleth, with correct Māori pronunciation marking someone as non-local. Ask any Kiwi or Aussie and we’ll tell you our fish and chips are far superior to those found in Old Blighty. I, a third generation New Zealander was born and went to school in Christchurch, South Island.. One of the things many people find it difficult when they visit New Zealand is understanding the accent and pronunciation of the locals. This has led some critics to dub us the “, Words that would be pronounced with at least some level of distinction in other English dialects are closer to homophones in, Just when you thought you were getting the hang of things in New Zealand, you go on a date, tell a, OK, that’s a worst-case scenario. Read on for some tips for understanding New Zealand English, famous among linguists for being the first dialect to have its entire development recorded on tape. Here’s a short list to help you pronounce the names of some of the places you might visit, they are especially tricky. Sources differ in the way they transcribe New Zealand English. ), but written to mimic a broad Kiwi accent that removed at least half the syllables. Just to be clear, though: the vowel in dress does not merge with the vowel in kit. Our colonial ancestors were appalled to hear the dialect that developed following their arrival and set about trying to stamp it out in favor of British English, to no avail. The funny thing about accents is, it can be really hard to hear your own. The pronunciation of the KIT vowel clearly distinguishes New Zealanders from Australians. The adjacent town of Nelson is the origin of the most widespread variety of New Zealand hops: Nelson Sauvin. It spread across our two isles, and now there are very few regional variations. Here’s everything you wanted to know about the kiwi accent. Unlike other varieties of English, the accent that first developed in the South Island by the Scottish, Irish and English immigrants has been homogenized for a long time. The Kiwi accent grabbed the top spot and the website had nothing but praise for it. – Speech and accent – Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand", The New Zealand accent: a clue to New Zealand identity? While New Zealanders speak differently depending on their level of cultivation (i.e. However, many New Zealand speakers in the 2000s have only 19 vowel phonemes because they do not make a distinction between the phonemes in NEAR and SQUARE. Ask any Kiwi or Aussie and we’ll tell you our fish and chips are far superior to those found in Old Blighty. Whoops. Posted by apt46 on August 23, 2012. OK, that’s a worst-case scenario. Also known as rising inflection or upspeak, this is where speakers raise their voices at the end of sentences, causing ordinary statements to sound more like questions? Australians tend to pronounce their vowels with more emphasis on the sound [ee], whereas New Zealanders are more prominent with [u] sounds. [41], For the named vowels used in this article, see, phonological system of the English of New Zealand, Hogg, R.M., Blake, N.F., Burchfield, R., Lass, R., and Romaine, S., (eds.) It varies because of different local and other factors. A simple statement spoken with confidence in any other English dialect comes out sounding peculiar in New Zealand English. Elizabeth Gordon Three years ago—at the time of the last election—a question was put to some politicians to explain about what it meant to them to be a New Zealander. In 1966, an informal New Zealand English dictionary was published called, New Zild and how to speak it. Multiple pronunciations are given, the first of which is a close representation of the Māori pronunciation. According to linguists, we New Zealand English speakers are continuing our trend of inelegance. While an Australian will claim their “feesh and cheeps” are tops, New Zealanders will tell you their “fush and chups” takes the cake. Not only does this dialect sometimes feature apocope, but consonants also vary slightly from standard Māori. NZE is non-rhotic, with the exception of the Southland BURR, the use by some speakers in Southland and Otago, South Island, of an /r/ in words like afford and heart. You see, we Kiwis turn our short I-sounds into U’s, so “fish” becomes fush and “chips” sounds more like chups. Cape Reinga – Cape Rrenga; Whangarei – Fah-nga-rei; Remuera – Re-moo-ear-ah; Tauranga: Toe-rrang-gah; Rotorua – Rrro-to-rru-ah; Whakatane – Fah-kah-tah-nei; Taupo – Toe-paw; Mt. The IPA transcription is one designed by Bauer et al. From this material we know that the early New Zealand accent was especially marked by the pronunciation of some diphthongs. But the sounds we make to tell you this will vary wildly. Compare: While this is one aspect of New Zealand English you wouldn’t need to adopt to fit in, it’s good to be aware of. Older Southland speakers use /ɹ/ variably after vowels, but today younger speakers use /ɹ/ only with the NURSE vowel and occasionally with the LETT ER vowel. While this probably isn’t the case, it can be a useful way to get your head around how we speak in New Zealand (or should I say. To compound matters, names were often initially transcribed by Scottish settlers, rather than the predominantly English settlers of other parts of the country; as such further alterations are not uncommon. According to linguists, we New Zealand English speakers are continuing our trend of inelegance. Please select a sample from the list below. It is believed to derive from ScoE, since Otago was a predominantly Scottish settlement. If you have the application "theWebPlayer", it will draw on your screen an excellent pitch plot and spectrogram of these sounds as well. Click on the speaker to hear her pronunciation of the words in that row. Sweet as: The New Zealand accent is the hottest on the planet, the study says. An example is pronouncing “fush instead of fish”.The Australia accent is believed to have originated from native-born children who spoke a new dialect combining dialects from the British Isles. But what can make us seem like we’re even, sure of ourselves is what is referred to in linguistics as the, A simple statement spoken with confidence in any other, “I’m going to the beach,” with, “I’m going to the beach?”, “My mum is a teacher,” with, “My mum is a teacher?”. In those day’s we did not learn Maori in schools and I had no contact with Maori until I moved to the north Island 40 years ago. For a New Zealander to pronounce the two identically is due to poor education, or confusion over which form is required. So how do you go about nailing the Kiwi accent without accidentally slipping into Australian English? Most New Zealanders say the short “i” as a schwa sound, meaning “six” sounds almost like “sucks”. Imagine how a pirate would say it and you’re good to go. Coming from such a small and far-flung nation, New Zealanders feel like we have to work a bit harder to prove ourselves in the global arena. The New Zealand accent is one of the most distinctive English accents — and it’s also one of the trickiest. "To a novice ear, the New Zealand accent might sound just like the Australian accent, but Big 7 … This is also true for New Zealanders, but our somewhat uncouth accent does come with a good dose of self-consciousness. . The phonetic quality of NZE diphthongs are as follows: Sources do not agree on the exact phonetic realizations of certain NZE diphthongs: As with Australian English and American English the intervocalic, Some New Zealanders pronounce past participles such as, This page was last edited on 18 October 2020, at 07:52. Otherwise, you might find yourself in New Zealand attempting to answer a lot of strange questions about topics you know nothing about (like whether the mother of someone you just met is really a teacher or not). ), but written to mimic a broad Kiwi accent that removed at least half the syllables. (Read that sentence aloud and you’ll hear what I mean.). When it comes to swallowing letters, the letter L seems to have a particularly difficult time permeating New Zealand speech. The Māori pronunciations use ten vowel symbols, five short and long pairs: /ʌ/ and /ʌː/ (as in New Zealand cup and father respectively), /e/ and /eː/ (N.Z. The New Zealand accent was first noticed around 1900 when it was called a 'colonial twang'. The author began his book by asking the reader, “Air gun?” In this case, it was a simple question (How’s it going? The New Zealand accent is rather similar to the Australian one but with a few distinctive variations in certain vowels. Ngauruhoe – Nah-eu-ru-ho-eh; Timaru – Te-mah-rroo “To a novice ear”, they said, “the New Zealand accent might sound just like the Australian accent… In New Zealand English, the vowel in “short e” words like dress or bed moves very close to the vowel that Americans and Brits use in the word kit. Say it with me: A’s become E’s, E’s become I’s, and I’s become U’s. – Speech and accent – Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand", "4. happy and fleec… But it’s one worth watching out for because, One rare exception can be found in the deep south, where locals still roll some of their Rs, much like their migrant ancestors. The easiest way to distinguish a Kiwi accent from that of our Aussie neighbors is the particular way we mangle our vowels. Older Southland speakers use /ɹ/ variably after vowels, but today younger speakers use /ɹ/ only with the NURSE vowel and occasionally with the LETTER vowel. Just when you thought you were getting the hang of things in New Zealand, you go on a date, tell a mate, and suddenly you’re a womanizer. Naturally, the news led to a flurry of TV hosts all over the world desperately trying to imitate this super sexy New Zealand accent. "theWebPlayer" is a shareware application for PC or Mac (US $10.00 per copy). The way in which ‘i’ becomes ‘oi’ is very much more an Australian pronunciation than a New Zealand … Pages 47-48 arts.canterbury.ac.nz, "5. Stickmen, New Zealand's pool movie – Speech and accent – Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand", "Other forms of variation in New Zealand English", "The World's Fastest Indian: Anthony Hopkins, Diane Ladd, Iain Rea, Tessa Mitchell, Aaron Murphy, Tim Shadbolt, Annie Whittle, Greg Johnson, Antony Starr, Kate Sullivan, Craig Hall, Jim Bowman, Roger Donaldson, Barrie M. Osborne, Charles Hannah, Don Schain, Gary Hannam, John J. Kelly, Masaharu Inaba: Movies & TV", Journal of the International Phonetic Association, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=New_Zealand_English_phonology&oldid=984114618, Articles needing additional references from April 2018, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Cultivated NZE retains the open pronunciations, The difference in frontness and closeness of the. Although English is nowadays the most commonly spoken language in NZ, Māori is the language that the first settlers in New Zealand spoke – a mix of different Polynesian languages. Notes: New Zealand English, which was established on the islands by colonists during the 19th century, has been shaped by three main influences; the accent from southern England, the Scottish English accent and the Maori language.. However, the main difference between both the accents is the pronunciation of vowels. One exception, just to keep you on your toes: In New Zealand English, our definite article “the” is increasingly pronounced tha. dress, plus a longer version), /i/ and /iː/ (N.Z. (1992), Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Simon Bridges has the accent of New Zealand's future. The traditional phonemic orthography for the Received Pronunciation as well as the reformed phonemic orthographies for Australian and General South African English have been added for the sake of comparison. To make things extra challenging, the “i” sound in a New Zealand accent is more like an “e.” Watch out for the six/sex confusion. The vowels of New Zealand English are similar to that of other non-rhotic dialects such as Australian English and RP, but with some distinctive variations, which are indicated by the transcriptions for New Zealand vowels in the tables below:[2]. This can lead to an almost infinite combination of potential misunderstandings. While an Australian will claim their “, Unfortunately for newbies, the vowel fiddling doesn’t stop there. In a strong Kiwi accent, therefore, red will sound very similar to American rid (i.e. Rs at the beginning of words are safe, but Southlanders will turn Rs in the middle of sentences into soft burrs, so that their city of Invercargill is pronounced more like Invercarrrgill. The differences are listed below. [citation needed], Some anglicised names are colloquially shortened, for example, Coke /kɐʉk/ for Kohukohu, the Rapa /ˈɹɛpə/ for the Wairarapa, Kura /ˈkʉəɹə/ for Papakura, Papatoe /ˈpɛpətɐʉi/ for Papatoetoe, Otahu /ˌɐʉtəˈhʉː/ for Otahuhu, Paraparam /ˈpɛɹəpɛɹɛm/ or Pram /pɹɛm/ for Paraparaumu, the Naki /ˈnɛki/ for Taranaki, Cow-cop /ˈkæʊkɒp/ for Kaukapakapa and Pie-cock /ˈpɑɪkɒk/ for Paekakariki. There’s a rumor in New Zealand — the kind grandmothers like to tell small children — that says our ancestors had to speak with their mouths closed in order to keep their false teeth in. Each row of words has been recorded as an ".aif" file. Recordings of old New Zealanders collected in the 1940's by the New Zealand … The author began his book by asking the reader, “Air gun?” In this case, it was a simple question (How’s it going? Words that would be pronounced with at least some level of distinction in other English dialects are closer to homophones in New Zenglish. Visitors to our shores will find that “Zealand” really is pronounced more like Zild, and “milk” sounds like mowk. The most obvious New Zealand shibboleth is how they pronounce the short “i” and “e” sounds. To truly get the pronunciation guide below, you should be familiar with the strange New Zealand accent, which can mostly be summed up by saying that they pronounce the letter ‘e’ like an ‘i’, so “pen” becomes “pin” and “bench” is “binch”. "The Sauvignon Blanc of hops," Sutherland says. Similarly, in New Zealand, eggs are iggs. This has led some critics to dub us the “Land of the Long Flat Vowel.”. The "fush and chips" effect. The New Zealand and Australian accent are close, but mistaking one for the other is a big faux pas. Kiwi is another name or is an informal term used to refer to New Zealanders. "Big gooseberry aroma and flavor." Thus, while Lake Wakatipu is sometimes referred to as Wakatip,[English IPA needed] Oamaru as Om-a-roo /ˌɒməˈɹʉː/ and Waiwera South as Wy-vra /ˈwɑɪvɹə/, these differences may be as much caused by dialect differences – either in Māori or in the English used during transcription – as by the process of anglicisation. In New Zealand English, words of Māori origin are treated slightly differently from the rest. [citation needed] An extreme example is The Kilmog /ˈkəlmɒɡ/, the name of which is cognate with the standard Māori Kirimoko. But it’s one worth watching out for because in New Zealand English, it’s virtually impossible to hear the difference between one “woman” and several “women.” While some British English speakers would pronounce “women” more like wimmin, we tend to slack off, nailing the O-sound but fumbling the ending. Of course, British people with a Cockney accent also come close to pronouncing “day” as “die” and the Cockney influence is certainly the source of the sound in Australian and hence New Zealand English. If you’ve never heard it before, or want to watch a great show, try Flight of the Conchords — and remember, Brit’s … You may not be able to stomach pronouncing it this way yourself, but this should at least give you a better chance of understanding what we’re saying. Although Australians and Kiwis might sound comparatively close to the untrained ear, researchhas shown there is a distinct contrast in the pronunciation of vowels. There are, however, relatively few RP-speakers in New Zealand, a larger proportion speaking what is now called NEAR-RP. The main difference between the two accents is vowel pronunciation. [citation needed], There is some confusion between these shortenings, especially in the southern South Island, and the natural variations of the southern dialect of Māori. Rs at the beginning of words are safe, but Southlanders will turn Rs in the middle of sentences into soft burrs, so that their city of Invercargill is pronounced more like, Vanessa Ellingham is the publisher and editor of, distinguish a Kiwi accent from that of our Aussie neighbors. Visitors to our shores will find that “Zealand” really is pronounced more like Zild, and “milk” sounds like mowk. No and no. Our colonial ancestors were appalled to hear the dialect that developed following their arrival and set about trying to stamp it out in favor of British English, to no avail. Get used to it", "3. We’re also fond of transforming our short A’s into E’s, so that our beloved All Blacks (the rugby team best known for the haka they perform before their matches) become the All Blecks. It has been said that the norm of educated NZE is the RECEIVED PRONUNCIATION of the BBC World Service. New Zealand 1 male, 20s, Caucasian, South Island New Zealand 2 female, 20s, 1970s, Caucasian (English/Irish/Welsh ancestry), Auckland New Zealand 3 female, 40s, 1950s, Caucasian, Auckland New Zealand 4 female, 20s, 1970s, Caucasian, Auckland New Zealand 5 male, 40, 1962, Maori (Ngapuhi), Russell (Bay of Islands) The pronunciations of many Māori place names were anglicised for most of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, but since the 1980s increased consciousness of the Māori language has led to a shift towards using a Māori pronunciation. This may be intimidating but if you remember the few major differences it … It has felled many. But what can make us seem like we’re even less sure of ourselves is what is referred to in linguistics as the High Rising Terminal. But the sounds we make to tell you this will vary wildly. The funny thing about accents is, it can be really hard to hear your own. A New Zealand accent has most of the pronunciation differences within the vowel sounds. New Zealand’s Marlborough region is noted for its wine, in particular its Sauvignon Blanc. Make sure to listen for this one when you meet a Kiwi, as we like to chat and it would be “bed menace” (bad manners) to ignore the question. This is also true for New Zealanders, but our somewhat uncouth accent does come with a good dose of self-consciousness. When it comes to swallowing letters, the letter L seems to have a particularly difficult time permeating New Zealand speech. While this probably isn’t the case, it can be a useful way to get your head around how we speak in New Zealand (or should I say, New Zild). Our latest crime: merging our diphthongs, otherwise known as a sound that is comprised of two vowels that merge together. This vowel is famously expressed in the different way New Zealanders and Australians pronounce 'fish and chips' – a fast-food dish common in both countries. We’re also fond of transforming our short A’s into E’s, so that our beloved All Blacks (the rugby team best known for the, struggles to introduce himself to New Yorkers, One exception, just to keep you on your toes: In New Zealand English, our definite article “the” is increasingly pronounced, Coming from such a small and far-flung nation, New Zealanders feel like we have to work a bit harder to prove ourselves in the global arena. Australian vowels are drawn out while New Zealanders switch such vowels as ‘I’ for something like a ‘u’. We explore its history from 1788 until today.