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New Zealand English
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New Zealand English (NZE, en-NZ) is the form of the English language used in New Zealand.
The English language was established in New Zealand by colonists during the 19th century. The most distinctive influences on New Zealand English have come from southern England, Scottish English and the indigenous Maori language.
The New Zealand accent is most similar to the South African accent and the accent of Victoria, Australia, although it has many characteristics also found in the accents of southeastern England, notably Estuary English.
New Zealand English is close to Australian English in pronunciation, but has several subtle differences often overlooked by people from outside these countries.
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Encyclopedia
New Zealand English (NZE, en-NZ) is the form of the English language used in New Zealand.
The English language was established in New Zealand by colonists during the 19th century. The most distinctive influences on New Zealand English have come from southern England, Scottish English and the indigenous Maori language.
The New Zealand accent is most similar to the South African accent and the accent of Victoria, Australia, although it has many characteristics also found in the accents of southeastern England, notably Estuary English.
New Zealand English is close to Australian English in pronunciation, but has several subtle differences often overlooked by people from outside these countries. Some of these differences show New Zealand English to have more affinity with the English of southern England than Australian English does. Several of the differences also show the influence of Maori speech. The most distinctive traits of New Zealand pronunciation from Australian and other forms of English although shared partly with South African English) are the vowels and . The vowel (as in dress) is pronounced , so that set sounds closer to sit to Northern Hemisphere ears. The vowel (as in kit) is pronounced which is marginally more central than the vowel used in Northern Hemisphere accents and much more central than the vowel used in Broad Australian.
Pronunciation
- For a basic key to the IPA, see Help:IPA.
| Short vowels |
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| IPA | Examples |
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| ? | sit, about, winner |
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| i | city |
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| e | bed, end |
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| ? | lad, cat, ran |
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| ? | run, enough |
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| ? | not, wasp |
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| ? | put, wood |
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| | Long vowels |
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| IPA | Examples |
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| ?? | father, arm |
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| i? | see |
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| ?? | bird |
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| o? | law, caught |
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| ?? | soon, through |
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| | Diphthongs |
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| IPA | Examples |
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| æe | day, pain |
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| ?e | my, wise |
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| oe | boy |
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| ?? | no, tow |
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| æo | now |
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| ?? | near, here |
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| e? | hair, there |
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| ?? | tour |
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- New Zealand English is a non-rhotic accent (except a small regional minority in the south who speak with the "Southland burr")
- New Zealanders with a non-rhotic accent use an intrusive R in expressions like pasta and sauce
- New Zealand English has yod-coalescence: dune and June are typically pronounced the same
- New Zealand English has L-vocalisation to the extent that some linguists have classified the ol in gold and the il in milk as distinct phonemes.
- New Zealanders do not use double-negation (e.g. he never did)
- New Zealanders, unlike Australians, use a broad A in the words plant, chance, dance.
- New Zealanders do not drop their Hs but, unlike Australians, pronounce the name of the letter as aitch
Historical development
A distinct New Zealand variant of the English language has been in existence since at least 1912, when Frank Arthur Swinnerton described it as a "carefully modulated murmur," though it probably goes back further than that. From the beginning of British settlement on the islands, a new dialect began to form by adopting Maori words to describe the flora and fauna of New Zealand, for which English did not have any words of its own.
Spelling
Where there is a distinct difference between British and US spelling (such as colour/color and travelled/traveled), the British spelling is universally used in New Zealand. Some Americanisms have begun to creep in through their exposure in mass media (for example, the use of "math" rather than "maths" as an abbreviation for mathematics), though these spellings are non-standard. The British name for the last letter of the alphabet, zed, is used in New Zealand.
-ise suffix
In words that may be spelled with either an "-ise" or an "-ize" suffix (such as organise/organize) New Zealand English uses the "-ise" suffix exclusively. This contrasts with American English, where "-ize" is generally preferred, and British English, which sees either permissible, but "-ize" preferred by many - including the Oxford English Dictionary.
Fiord
New Zealand is perhaps unique among English-speaking countries in its spelling of the word fjord, favouring the spelling fiord. This is particularly apparent in the name of Fiordland, a rugged region in the country's southwest.
Maori influence
Many local everyday words have been borrowed from the Maori language, including words for local flora, fauna, and the natural environment. See Maori influence on New Zealand English.
The dominant influence of Maori on New Zealand English is lexical. A 1999 estimate based on the Wellington corpora of written and spoken New Zealand English put the proportion of words of Maori origin at approximately 0.6%, mostly place and personal names.
Maori is also ever-present and has a significant conceptual influence in the legislature, government, and community agencies (e.g. health and education), where legislation requires that proceedings and documents are translated into Maori (under certain circumstances, and when requested). Political discussion and analysis of issues of sovereignty, environmental management, health, and social well being thus rely on Maori at least in part. Maori as a spoken language is particularly important wherever community consultation occurs.
Pronunciation of Maori place names
The pronunciation of many Maori place names was anglicised for most of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, but since the 1980s, increased consciousness of Maori has led to a shift back to correct Maori pronunciations.
The anglicisations have persisted most among residents of the towns in question, so it has become something of a shibboleth, with correct Maori pronunciation marking someone as non-local.
Some anglicised names are colloquially shortened, for example, "coke" for Kohukohu, "the Rapa" (pronounced rapper) for the Wairarapa and "the Naki" (pronounced nackey, rhymes with lackey) for Taranaki.
New Zealand English vocabulary
There are also a number of dialectical words and phrases used in New Zealand English. These are mostly informal terms most common in casual speech.
New Zealand adopted decimal currency in the 1960s and the metric system in the 1970s. While the older measures are understood by those above the age of 45, younger New Zealanders have lived most or all of their lives in a metric environment and may not be familiar with pounds, ounces, stones, degrees fahrenheit, yards and miles. Only those over the age of 50 are at all likely to be familiar with pounds, shillings and pence.
Unique features
Short 'i'
The short 'i' in New Zealand English is pronounced as a schwa .
This sounds similar to a short 'u' is in other forms of English, meaning that to other English speakers it sounds like "fush and chups" instead of "fish and chips". However, it is really closer to an almost dropped vowel, so it is more like "f'sh and ch'ps".
The closest sound in New Zealand English to the Australian short 'i' is 'ee' , so New Zealanders may hear Australians talking about the "Seedney Harbour Breedge" or "feesh and cheeps". Documentary films from the first half of the 20th century featuring both Australian and New Zealand voices show that the accents were more similar before the Second World War and diverged mostly after the 1950s.
Recent linguistic research has suggested that the short, flat 'i' heard in New Zealand comes from dialects of English spoken by lower-class English people in the late nineteenth century. It is, however, also encountered in Scottish English, and given the relatively higher level of Scottish emigration to New Zealand than Australia, this may also be an influence. The pronunciation of English vowels by native Maori speakers may also have influenced the New Zealand accent. There is a Maori accent distinct from the accent of native English speakers.
Short 'e'
The short 'e' in New Zealand English has moved to fill in the space left by 'i', and sounds like a short 'i' itself to other English speakers.
For example, you may hear New Zealanders talk about having "iggs for brickfast" or hear an airline attendant asking to "kollikt your hid-sits" (collect your head-sets).
Short 'a'
New Zealanders pronounce the short 'a' as a short 'e', meaning that the sporting team the All Blacks becomes the All Blecks.
Letter 'l'
The dark l at the end of a words like 'kill' is replaced by some speakers with the semivowel 'w'. For these speakers, 'bill' is pronounced the same way as 'bull', both having 'w' instead of 'l'. It also affects 'l' before consonsants — 'build' may be said 'buwd' and 'milk' as 'muwk'. This varies in different regions and between different socio-economic groups.
/l/ can also have an effect when preceeded by an 'e' in words such as 'well' or 'tell' or words ending in '-self' (myself, himself, herself) whereby the vowel is lowered towards the /æ/ position (a feature heard in Australian speakers from Victoria) such that 'self' will sound something like 'salf'.
Additional schwa
As in Australian English, some New Zealanders will insert the schwa to words such as grown, thrown and mown, resulting in grow-en, throw-en and mo-wen. However, groan, throne and moan are all unaffected, meaning these word pairs can be distinguished by ear, unlike in English language in England.
This has also been heard (rarely) in the pronunciation of the word three, where the schwa appears between the 'th' and the 'r', creating a two-syllable word, and in words such as dwarf and Dwane/Duane where the schwa appears between the 'd' and the 'w' (or 'u'), leading to puns like "Duosyllabic Duane".
Distinction between and
In thicker New Zealand accents, words like "chair" and "cheer", () are pronounced the same way (that is the same way as "cheer" in British or Australian English). The same occurs with "share" and "shear" (both pronounced ); bear, bare and beer; spare and spear. This pronunciation is not universal as some New Zealanders do distinguish these words. Lack of distinction is somewhat stigmatised.
Younger speakers tend to merge toward , while middle-aged speakers tend to merge toward . This merging has been seen in some other varieties of English, but notably not in Australian English.
Lack of distinction between ferry and fairy
For some speakers of New Zealand English, the vowel in ferry is raised and becomes indistinguishable from fairy. The vowel length distinction, however, is usually retained.
Use of mixed vowels
The common New Zealand pronunciation of the trans- prefix rhymes with "ants" (/ænts/). This produces mixed pronunciation of the as in words like "transplant" (/trænzpl??nt/) whereas in northern (but not southern) British English the same vowel is used in both syllables (/trænzplænt/).
Rising intonation
New Zealanders will often reply to a question with a statement spoken with a rising intonation at the end. This often has the effect of making their statement sound like another question. There is enough awareness of this that it is seen in exaggerated form in comedy parody of working class/uneducated New Zealanders. This rising intonation can also be heard at the end of statements, which are not in response to a question but to which the speaker wishes to add emphasis. High rising terminals are also heard in various other regional forms of English.
Use of she as third person neuter
In informal speech, some New Zealanders use the third person feminine she in place of the third person neuter it as the subject of a sentence, especially when the subject is the first word of the sentence. The most common use of this is in the phrase "She'll be right" meaning either "It will be okay" or "It is close enough to what is required". This is similar to Australian English.
Differences from Australian English
Although foreigners can find it hard to distinguish the New Zealand dialect from the Australian, there are differences in the pronunciation of vowel sounds, which are considerably more clipped in New Zealand English.
Chance, dance, prance, advance etc.
The New Zealand pronunciation of words like "dance" typically uses the same vowel sound as the "a" in "car", that is, , resembling the broad A of southern British English. In Australia, a pronunciation similar to the North American is common in many areas. However, is not universal in Australia, and pronunciation is found in Southland (Bartlett 1992).
Fool, pool, etc.
Less known than dance/chance, but more diagnostic, is the pronunciation of followed by , as in fool and pool. is usually centralised, but is moved back and lowered, so that the vowel sounds more like "good" . Thus "fool" and "pool" sound like "full" and "pull" respectively. In contrast, Australian English usually retains the central position, and often adds a diphthong .
Bird, nurse, etc.
Another diagnostic pronunciation difference in (e.g., bird and nurse). In New Zealand, it is fronted and slightly round , whereas in Australia it is further back.
Schwa in unstressed syllables
New Zealanders tend to be more likely to turn a vowel in an unstressed syllable into a schwa, although this is far from a universal trait. A clear example of this trait is shown in the pronunciation of Queensland, which in IPA terms would be to a New Zealander (rhyming with "seasoned"), but to an Australian (rhyming with "freehand"). However, both pronunciations occur within New Zealand and also Australia.
Letter 'h'
Pronunciation of the name of the letter 'h' is usually , as in Great Britain and North America, but can be the aspirated of Hiberno-English origin found in Australian English.
Vocabulary differences
Other differences in the dialects relate to words used to refer to common items, often based on which major brands become eponyms:
| NZ | Australia | Explanation |
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| Cellphone / mobile / mobile phone (cell)/phone(mobile) | Mobile phone
(mobile) | A portable telephone. | | Chilly bin | Esky | Insulated container for keeping drinks and food cool. | | Dairy | Milk bar
Delicatessen
convenience store
Deli | Equivalent to convenience store, although the term usage is becoming rarer. In larger cities convenience store or superette are used due to immigration. Note that the term delicatessen is used in New Zealand for a somewhat different purpose, referring to a shop or a section of a supermarket serving specialist foods such as salamis, fine cheeses, and the like (just as it is in most states of Australia). | | Domain, field | Oval, paddock | An area normally used for recreational purposes, usually grass/earth. | | Duvet | Doona | A padded quilt. | | Jandals | Thongs | Backless sandals (otherwise known as "flip-flops" or "Japanese sandals"). | | Jersey | Jumper | Garment for warmth. In NZ and Australia jersey also used for top part of sports uniform (e.g. for rugby) - another term for a sports short, guernsey, is frequently used in Australia but only rarely found in New Zealand | | Judder bar / Speed bump | bump | Humps or the like in urban or suburban roads, designed to limit the speed of traffic. Speed bump a common term in both New Zealand and Australia | | No exit | No through road | A road with a dead end; a cul-de-sac. | | Oil skin / Swanndri | Driza-Bone
Oil skin
| Oil skin: Country raincoat; Swanndri: heavy woollen jersey (often checquered). | Togs
| | Swimmers
Cozzies
Togs
budgie smuggler Swimwear (see Australian words for swimwear) | | Trolley | Shopping trolley | A device, usually four-wheeled, for transporting shopping within supermarket precincts. | | Trolley, Trundler | Shopping jeep/granny trolley | A two-wheeled device for transporting shopping from local shops (now rarely seen). | | Tramp | Bush walk | Bush-walking or hiking. | | Twink | White-Out | Correction fluid. | Vivid
Felts, Felt tips | Texta | A permanent marker pen. | | a Used mainly in Queensland and northern New South Wales. |
In the 1950s and 1960s, the phrase "milk bar" referred to a place that served non-alcoholic drinks, primarily milkshakes, tea and sometimes coffee. Ice creams were also served.
A traditional difference, between the New Zealand "varsity" and the Australian "uni" (for "university"), has largely disappeared with the adoption of "uni" into the New Zealand vocabulary.
Dialects within New Zealand English
Recognisable regional variations is slight, with the exception of Southland.
In this area a trilled 'r' (sometimes referred to as the "Southland burr") appears prominently, and this dialect is also rhotic; that is, speakers pronounce the 'r' in "bird", "work" while other New Zealanders do not. This southern area formed a traditional repository of immigration from Scotland. Several words and phrases common in Scots or Scottish English still persist in this area as well. Some examples of this include the use of wee to mean "small", and phrases such as to do the messages meaning "to go shopping".
Some speakers from the West Coast of the South Island retain a half Australian accent from the region's 19th century goldrush settlers.
Dictionaries of New Zealand English
The first comprehensive dictionary dedicated to New Zealand English was probably the Heinemann New Zealand dictionary, published in 1979. Edited by Harry Orsman, it is a comprehensive 1,300-page book, with information relating to the usage and pronunciation of terms that were both widely accepted throughout the English-speaking world and those peculiar to New Zealand. It includes a one-page list of the approximate date of entry into common parlance of many terms found in New Zealand English but not elsewhere, such as "haka" (1827), "Boohai" (1920), and "bach" (1905).
In 1997, Oxford University Press produced the Dictionary of New Zealand English, which it claimed was based on over forty years of research. This research started with Orsman's 1951 thesis and continued with his editing this dictionary. To assist with and maintain this work, the New Zealand Dictionary Centre was founded in 1997. Since then it has published several more dictionaries of New Zealand English, culminating in the publication of The New Zealand Oxford Dictionary in 2004.
A more light-hearted look at English as spoken in New Zealand, A personal Kiwi-Yankee dictionary, was written by American-born University of Otago psychology lecturer Louis Leland in 1980. This slim but entertaining volume lists many of the potentially confusing and/or misleading terms for Americans visiting or migrating to New Zealand. A second edition was published during the 1990s.
See also
External links
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