New Zealand English
New Zealand English is the dialect of English spoken in New Zealand.
Most New Zealanders speak a form of English that has not diverged greatly from British English, although in most respects, New Zealand English is very similar to Australian English. Both favour British spelling and choices between words given differences between American and British English. One notable exception is 'program', which in New Zealand is spelt as 'programme', as in British English. In Australia, which uses the American spelling, 'program' can refer either to computer programs or television productions. Many local words, largely borrowed from the indigenous Maori population, have arisen to describe the local flora, fauna, and the natural environment, and some other Maori words have made their way into the language.
In 1998, Oxford University Press produced a Dictionary of New Zealand English that it claimed was based on over 40 years of research. This research started with Harry Orsman's 1951 thesis and continued with his publishing this dictionary as the editor. To assist with and maintain this work, the New Zealand Dictionary Centre was founded in 1997.
Vocabulary
Most of the names for native flora and fauna come directly from the Maori names. Examples of native birds are of course the kiwi, as well as the kea, kakapo, tui and pukeko, the extinct giant moa, and the kotuku or white heron. There are also fish such as hoki, kahawai and terakihi, and shellfish like toheroa and paua.
Most of the native trees also have names from Maori, such as the kauri, rimu, totara, kowhai, matagouri and pohutukawa. Other vegetation with Maori names includes the kumara, a type of sweet potato.
The word kiwi has acquired other meanings, most commonly as an informal term for New Zealander, or as an adjective instead of New Zealand. The use of kiwi to refer to kiwifruit is not part of New Zealand English and will irritate many New Zealanders.
Many Maori words or phrases that describe Maori culture have become part of New Zealand English. Some of these are:
- haka: a chant and (war) dance of challenge, popularised by the All Blacks rugby team, who use it to put off the opposition
- hangi: a method of cooking food in a pit; or the occasion at which food is cooked this way
- iwi: tribe, or peoples
- kia ora: hello
- kohanga reo: Maori language pre-school (literally 'language nest')
- kumara: sweet potato
- mana: a combination of authority, integrity, power and prestige
- marae: ceremonial meeting area in front of the meeting house; or, the entire complex surrounding this, including eating and sleeping areas
- pakeha: people of non-Maori origin, especially those of European origin
- paua: shellfish
- puku: belly, usually a big one
- whanau: extended family
Other Maori words may be recognised by most New Zealanders, but generally not used in everyday speech:
- aroha: love, affection
- haere mai: welcome, come here
- hapu: family or pregnant [family way}
- ka pai: good; well done
- kai: food
- korero: to chat; to speak in Maori
- tangi: to mourn; or, a funeral at a marae
- taniwha: legendary sea monster
- tapu: sacred, taboo; to be avoided because of this
- te reo: the tongue; the Maori language
- tohunga: priest, shaman
- turangawaewae: one's own turf
- wairua: spirit
- whakapapa: genealogy, to genealogise
New Zealanders also refer to Maori people, in the plural as Maori, not as 'Maoris', and this is often pronounced as 'maw-rri' with a trilled 'r'. Maori pronunciation is also often followed in place names, hence Manukau near Auckland is pronounced as Mon-uko, and Waikato is Wai-kato.
Maori influence
The use of Maori words is increasing, particularly in the North Island, although there is regional variation. Thus "Kia Ora", literally "be healthy", is now a standard New Zealand greeting. In Maori situations it is often used after someone has spoken meaning "Have you got that?" or possibly "Do you agree with me?" but this has not extended to general use.
Other Maori greetings, "Tena koe" {one person} or "Tena koutou" {three or more people} are also widely used. Similarly the phrase for goodbye, "Haere Ra", which may also be the origin of the much more widely used NZ phrase for goodbye "Hooray".
Greetings between people meeting on a cold morning is sometimes "Makariri nei?", (cold isn't it?), which this phrase is changing to a bastard Maori-English word "Maka-Chilly" It probably started as a joke, but has now become a permanent feature of New Zealand English.
"Buggered" is a word that quickly entered the Maori language as "Pakaru or Pakaruru" and is now returning to NZ English in its new form or as "Pakaru-ed"
Unique New Zealand English vocabulary
There are also many non-Maori words that are unique to New Zealand English, or shared with Australia.
- bach: A small holiday home, often with only one or two rooms and of simple construction. Pronounced "batch".
- chip, punnet or pottle: Depending on the region, the unit by which strawberries and certain other fruit are sold.
- crib: Another word for bach, more commonly used in the south of the South Island.
- eh!: Used for emphasis at the end of a sentence.
- flatting: sharing a flat (apartment)
- footpath: Pavement or sidewalk.
- footy: Football (usually Rugby Union or League, never soccer).
- good as gold: great, just right
- Jaffa: a derogatory description of Aucklanders used by non-Aucklanders.
- OE or Big OE: Overseas Experience; time spent travelling and working overseas, usually in Europe.
- pavlova: A favourite meringue-like dessert made from egg whites, frequently served with cream and kiwifruit.
- pom: British person, usually English (mildy derogatory).
- smoko: rest break during work (especially as smoking will soon be totally banned in public/workplaces)
- super: old age pension scheme (from superannuation)
- WOF/Warrant: Warrant of Fitness test on car (similar to British MoT).
Differences from British English
The most noticeable difference in pronunciation is probably the flat "i", so that "six" is pronounced in a way sounding like "sucks". This is a part of the vowel shift that has occurred in New Zealand.
Below, the latter word is how the former word sounds to the ears of a non-New Zealander:
- pan --> pen
- pen --> pin
- pin --> pun
- peek --> peck
Note that many of the differences listed below are avoided by New Zealanders speaking "properly," as in public speaking for example, in which case the main differences are the shifted vowel sounds listed here.
Additional Schwa
Typically, a New Zealander 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 British English.
Dropped L
The L sound is often dropped or pronounced as a W at the end of a word, or before a consonant, as in milk or mill; but the L would be pronounced in miller.
No distinction between /ɛə/ and /ɪə/
"Chair" and "cheer" (/tʃɛə/, /tʃɪə/) are pronounced the same way (/tʃɪə/, i.e. as "cheer" in British, American or Australian English). The same occurs with "shared" and "sheared"; both are pronounced /ʃɪəd/. (IPA used for phonetic transcriptions.)
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. (Canadians face a similar problem, frequently being mistaken for U.S. Americans by non-North Americans.) The main distinguishing sounds are the short 'i' and 'e', as well as words like "chance", as described below.
Short i
The short 'i' in New Zealand English is pronounced as a schwa (IPA [ə]). In Australian English, the short 'u' is the vowel closest to the New Zealand pronunciation, so an Australian hears "fush and chups" when a New Zealander is saying "fish and chips". Conversely, the closest sound in New Zealand English to the Australian short 'i' (IPA [ɪ]) is 'ee' (IPA [i]), so New Zealanders may hear Australians talking about the "Seedney Harbour Breedge".
Recent linguistic research has suggested that this trait is sourced from dialects of English spoken by lower-class English people in the late 19th century, though why it persisted in New Zealand whilst disappearing from Australia is a mystery.
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".
Chance, dance, etc.
The New Zealand pronunciation of words like "dance" uses the same vowel sound as the "a" in "car", i.e. [dαnts], resembling the broad A of British English. The common Australian pronunciation rhymes with "ants", i.e. [dænts]. However, either form may be used in Australia, with the former usually used in South Australia, and common in New South Wales.
More/sure
"More" and "sure" are pronounced mua and shua, whereas in Australia they would be pronounced as maw-a and shaw-a.
Letter 'h'
Pronunication of the letter 'h' is 'aitch', as in Britain and North America, as opposed to the aspirated 'haitch', found in Australian English, in turn of Hiberno-English origin.
Other differences
Other differences in the dialects relate to words used to refer to common items, often based on major brands:
| NZ | Australia | Explanation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| jandals | thongs | backless sandals | |
| Gidday | G'day | Hello! | |
| caucus | party room | group of parliamentarians belonging to same party | |
| chilly bin | Esky | insulated container for keeping drinks and food cool | |
| electorate | division | parliamentary constituency | |
| Swanndri | Driza-Bone | The quintessential back-country farmer's jacket of each country, a woollen shirt and oilskin jacket respectively. | |
| dairy | milk bar | A kind of convenience store. |
In New Zealand, the word "milk bar" refers only to the milk bar of the 1950s and 1960s, a place that served non-alcoholic drinks, primarily milkshakes, tea and sometimes coffee. Ice creams were also served.
Dialects within New Zealand English
Most Kiwis speak Newzild "as she is spoke": geographical variations appear slight, and mainly confined to individual special local words. One group of speakers, however, hold a recognised place as "talking differently": the South of the South Island (Murihiku) harbours a "Celtic fringe" of people speaking with a "Southland burr" in which a back-trilled 'r' appears prominently. The area formed a traditional repository of immigration from Scotland.
The trilled 'r' is also used by some Maori, who may also pronounce 't' and 'k' sounds almost as 'd' and 'g'. This is also encountered in South African English, especially among Afrikaans speakers.
Unique phrases
It is in metaphorical phrases that NZ English has made most progress or divergence. Often they reflect significant differences in culture, for example:
Ladies, a plate is often seen as part of the advertisement for social functions. It means that the function is self catering; people attending are meant to bring a plate full of food. Many new arrivals in New Zealand have mistaken this and turned up with an empty plate, but only once.
Up the Puhoi without a paddle meaning to be in difficulties without an obvious soltion. The Puhoi is a river just north of Auckland. Over the years the phrase has evolved and is now often heard as "Up the Boo-eye without a paddle". It is also some times attributed to other New Zealand rivers. It will be interesting if the phrase can withstand competition from the modern and very colourful variant "Up shit creek without a Paddle".
Wide enough for an Ox team to do a U-ie Said of very wide roads.
Sticky Beak meaning someone unduly curious about other people's affairs, ie nosey parker. Sticky beak is used in both New Zealand and Australia with the same meaning but slightly different emphasis. In Australia "sticky beak" is quite pejorative, to be called sticky beak is definitely a criticism whereas in New Zealand it is used with more affection, it is often used as a tease.
Box of Birds or even more colloqially "Box of Fluffies" meaning to feel very good. "How are you feeling? Oh, a Box of Birds"
Rattle yer Dags an instruction to hurry up. Sheep running through gates and yards often make a curious rattling noise caused by their 'dags' (dried faeces) clattering together. Similarly "He's a bit of a Dag' describes someone as a comedian. The word "dagg" possibly derives from the regional english word, "daglock" meaning the same thing. See also Fred Dagg.