New Zealand English

New Zealand English is a standard variety of pluricentric English language that is spoken mainly in New Zealand. It is closely related to the Australian English and influenced by Māori.

New Zealand English is similar to Australian English in pronunciation, and the difference is often difficult to be noticed by people outside of both countries. Some of these differences have the impression that the New Zealand English British English is somewhat closer than the Australian English. Some of the differences are due here on New Zealand English from the influence of the language of the Māori. The main difference between the two varieties may be the long-drawn- i ( " Siiidney ") of Australian English, although from the perspective of other English-speaking areas of the world the New Zealand i is already much longer. The very long i in Australia is probably due by Italian immigrants.

• 3.1 vocabulary
• 3.2 Māori as an official language
• 3.3 Pronunciation of Māori place names
• 3.4 idioms and phrases

• 4.1 pronunciation
• 4.2 Additional Schwa
• 4.3 Increasing pitch at the end of the sentence and eh!
• 4.4 The use of the roomy within the meaning of the German it

• 5.1 Short 'i'
• 5.2 Long, i '
• 5.3 chance dance, etc.
• 5.4 Fool pool, etc.
• 5.5 schwa in unstressed syllables

Development

One difference from other dialects of English was first described in 1912 by Frank Swinnerton, who described the New Zealand English as " carefully modulated murmur ". Certainly there were previously differences, which are well developed early on, due to the language of Māori and their vocabulary as well as names for places and especially for plants and animals that are unique in New Zealand and therefore in English were nameless and stayed.

The New Zealand accent is also influenced by Scottish and Irish English, especially in the south of the South Island of New Zealand, as a result of numerous early Scottish and Irish immigrants in the 19th century, for example, to Dunedin (Scottish Edinburgh ).

Spelling

There are numerous differences between the British and American spelling, as in color / color or traveled / traveled. Generally follows the New Zealand spelling of the British, even more than the Australian spelling. Some Americanisms keep but also in New Zealand catchment, such as " thru" as a by- form of " through", though not yet in formal use.

" - Ise "

One obvious difference between the New Zealand and British spelling is seen in the ending- ise or -ize: New Zealanders use only the ending- ise, -ize Americans, while the British (and Australians ) both use.

Māori influence

Vocabulary

Most of the names of native plants and wildlife are taken directly from the Māori. The best known example is probably the kiwi, but also other native birds such as the Kea, Kakapo, Tui, Pukeko, the extinct Moa, the Kotuku (great egret ) and the Hoiho ( yellow-eyed penguin ) evidence of the significant impact, as well as the fish hoki, kahawai and Tarakihi, the mussel Toheroa and the Chambered Nautilus Paua.

Also, most trees have derived from the language of Māori names, such as Kauri, Rimu, Totara, Kowhai and Pohutukawa, the New Zealand Christmas tree. Another plant with a Maori name is the kumara, a sweet potato.

The word Kiwi has received several additional meanings over the years; the most common is probably the proper name for New Zealand and all New Zealand, for example, a bank named Kiwibank or the state pension called Kiwisaver. The kiwi fruit, however, is always referred to as such ( kiwifruit ); a name only as kiwi can lead to misunderstandings.

Many Maori words and phrases that describe the culture of the Maori, have become part of the New Zealand English. Examples can be found among the list of New Zealand words and phrases.

New Zealanders also refer to Māori as a people. The plural is Māori, non- Maoris. Most Māori words remain unchanged in the plural. In the language māorischen Numbers can often be expressed in the article: "te" for singular ( = of / / that), " Nga " for plural.

Māori as an official language

Since the language of the Māori is an official language and example websites of public authorities must be bilingual or even legal texts are published in both languages ​​, the influence of Māori has increased on New Zealand English.

Pronunciation of Māori place names

Many Māori place names were pronounced quite clumsy as English words during the 19th and 20th century, but since in the 1980s, awareness has become more spread out for the language of the Māori again, value is placed on correct pronunciation again.

However, the anglicized pronunciation sometimes stays among the residents, so that one often detects a non-locals at a correct pronunciation.

Examples are:

• Paraparaumu: among European New Zealanders often Parapram pronounced ( with English intonation )
• Hawera: often only Hara
• Pauatahanui: often only Partanui

The correct pronunciation of Māori words falls Germans generally much easier than English speakers. Anyone who reads these words as in English, is very close to the correct Māori pronunciation. Vowels with macron, the bottom line over the vowel be extended. The r is pronounced like a fast- beaten d that w is not a German w, but like a very English w, wh is pronounced as f and u lies somewhere between u and u almost exactly in the pronunciation (like the " oo " in the New Zealand and Australian pronunciation of " boot" ).

Idioms and phrases

The use of Maori words is increasing, especially in the North Island, where there are regional differences there as well. Kia ora, for example, is sometimes used as a greeting. In Māori, however, it is also often used for Thank you and Yes, exactly! uses.

Other Maori greetings as Tena koe ( to a person) or tena koutou ( three or more people) are not often used. The list of New Zealand words and phrases is another example.

In 1998, the Oxford University Press is a dictionary of New Zealand English (Dictionary of New Zealand English) published that (in the name of the publisher ) is based on more than 40 years of research.

Differences from British English

Pronunciation

In New Zealand English came over to several sound shifts, for example Diphthongierungen, ie changes of vowels, also vowels are often pronounced longer than in British English.

Examples of sound shifts are:

• Pan is pronounced in New Zealand as in British English, the word pen
• Groups is according to pin
• Pin is to pun
• Pair is sometimes to peer.

The sound shifts cause some words are pronounced identically, as chair, which is the same as spoken cheer, or share, the same is spoken as shear. However, such debates depend on the strength of the accent and the region in New Zealand from. Another example: ferry with a long e is indistinguishable to fairy.

The tendency to pull vowels in length, is also clear in the case of Z (as in NZ), which is spoken very far forward ( tendency to i) and long ( " zeet "). It is often heard that the vowel e as in bed, ten or named Ben, is spoken as a German long e or French é. This characteristic sometimes leads to misunderstandings between New Zealanders and English speakers from other sources, such as letter / litter, pen / pin, pet / pit, bet / bit etc. )

Similarly, if yes, which is sometimes the yeeh, sometimes leaking a tendency to like the yeah the American. This debate can be found especially in the younger generation and among the Māori as well as on the South Island.

Additional Schwa

As in Australian English add some New Zealanders schwa in pronunciation of some words you like in -grown, thrown and mown, which leads to grow -en, -en and throw mo -wen. Words like groan, throne and moan on the other hand remain unchanged, and in contrast to British English these word pairs are thus distinguishable from each other.

Increasing pitch at the end of the sentence and eh!

New Zealanders often cancel each end of a sentence to the pitch, which makes it sound like a question the sentence then. This effect is further enhanced by the very widespread eh, that is appended to the end of the block. The "eh" also replaced one is not it at the end of the block, or is it, was not it, etc. The use of eh however, depends on the strength of the accent. It is approximately pronounced like the vowel in English may.

The use of the roomy within the meaning of the German it

She is very happy to use it instead as a subject of a sentence, especially when such a short sentence with this subject begins. She's right is a general praise, such as a barbecue, or She'll be right, mutatis mutandis, as That's fine.

Differences to the Australian English

Although the difference may be hard to detect by people outside of the two countries Australia and New Zealand, there is this yet. In particular, vowels are partially different. The main difference is in the pronunciation of i and e

Short, i '

The shorter i of the New Zealand English is often pronounced as a schwa. In Australian English this vowel is almost like a (German ) a pronounced, but so short that it is hardly audible.

Example: fish and chips are pronounced with schwa in New Zealand, Australia, the a -like vowels are almost dropped f'sh and ch'ps.

Long, i '

Conversely, Australian pull a long already in New Zealand i like in Sydney more evident in the length as a New Zealander, in Australia you can hear " Siiidney Harbour Briiidge ". This is long i probably a result of Italian immigrants to Australia and their pronunciation of English on the one hand, and Scottish and Irish immigrants to New Zealand and their dialect on the other. Show filming, that this difference of pronunciation in the first half of the 20th century was not as pronounced and has increased from the 1950s. The increasing influence of the language of the Māori in the New Zealand English may also amplify the differences between Australia and New Zealand.

Chance dance, etc.

In New Zealand, as these words are pronounced with a long, dark a ( / ɑ ː / ) as in car, so as in British English, for example, in southern England. In Australia, however, the vowel is more widely spoken as ( / æ / ) in rat, so similar to the American or North English.

Fool pool, etc.

An important differentiating factor between Australian and New Zealand English is the pronunciation of words such as fool, pool, etc. In New Zealand, these vowels are further emphasized the rear, that sound like full and pull. In Australia, the vowel is further forward in the mouth and are often supplemented by a diphthong.

Schwa in unstressed syllables

New Zealanders are more prone to make it an unstressed schwa vowels. Thus, the a is not ä with a spoken in Queensland as in Australia, but rather with a schwa as in seasoned. However, you can hear quite well in Australia this debate so that this distinguishing feature is not very reliable.

Vocabulary

Many words exist only in New Zealand English, some only in New Zealand and Australia, but not in British English. Certainly, the biggest difference is of course to American English. In comparison, New Zealand English is the British much more similar to what can be explained by the origin of New Zealand immigrants of course.

To differences in the vocabulary see list of New Zealand words and phrases.

Different dialects of the New Zealand English

Regional differences are rather small, even if, for example, hawked by Aucklandern again and again that the " hillbillies " of the South Island have a stronger accent. In the south of the South Island, however, you hear a distinct accent, which is characterized by a rolled 'r'. This accent is due to the many Scottish immigrants in the area.

Samples

Audio samples can be found for example at:

• Allblacks.co.nz, see our haka videos: expert analysis; also contains some Māori words