You’d be forgiven for thinking that Australians and Kiwis sound, well, Australian. But that’s definitely not the case. For the latter have a very distinct, and rather likeable, accent. Actually, it’s more than that. More pronounced. Literally. For they shift vowels. First in a word one to the right. Skipping over ’o’. And sometimes ’u’ as well.
So the ’e’ in "Ken" becomes ’i’. And I become "Kin". Has a rather nice, warm ring to it. And those padded gloves worn by cricketers? In New Zealand, betsmens wear betting gloves when playing crucket. This may be a fairly rough and ready rule. But it does seem to work for the most part. As these examples suggest:
Crosby, Stulls end Nesh – Sixties pop group
Ear – mostly oxygen and nitrogen
Ella buy – Proof of your whereabouts
Fibbery – Pretty chilly month of the year
Fuggers – Something accountants work with
Ed. That’s surely enough for now…
[With especial thanks to Ian for sharing his insights into the local lingo]
Tags: Kiwese, lingusitics, pronunciation
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