The Kiwi accent - how hard is it?

Friday, 17 June 2016

Kylie Jenner buggered up the Kiwi accent, so Stuff took the streets of Wellington to see how other foreign-born folk managed.

John Oliver thinks it's comical, and Kylie Jenner's efforts to imitate it are laughable.

All in all, the Kiwi accent takes a fair bit of flak. But is it really that unique, or difficult to master?

English cricketer Graeme Swann gives his imitation of rugby coach Warren Gatland's Kiwi accent

Many of the oddities of our accent come from shifting vowels, according to Elizabeth Gordon, a sociolinguist who spent a career studying New Zealand English.

**READ MORE:

Reality TV star Kylie Jenner attempts a New Zealand accent while hanging out with Kiwi model Cassidy Morris. (Video first published in June 2016)

* Kiwi model Cassidy Morris joins Kylie Jenner's entourage

* Kylie Jenner attempts to copy Kiwi model's accent**

'We have a New Zealand vowel shift … the front vowels are moving higher,' she says. 'You say them with a tone higher in the mouth.'

'What you've got is a sort of push chain, one pushes the next.'

Gordon walked us through some of the most notable vowel shifts, and their effect on our speech.

Kylie Jenner shared a video of her imitating the accent of Kiwi model and friend Cassidy Morris.

FENTESTIC

One of the first vowels to shift in our accent is the 'trap' vowel, which raises to a 'trep' sound.

'This is why the word 'cattle' sounds like 'kettle' in New Zealand English,' says Gordon. And why 'fantastic' becomes 'fentestic'.

PEN TO PIN

The raising of the 'trap' vowel nudges into the same space in the mouth that the 'dress' vowel comes from. The similarity of the two often confuses non-New Zealand English speakers.

So the 'dress' vowel also moves, turning 'pen' to 'pin'.

FUSH AND CHUPS

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.

The 'fush and chips' effect.

EAR NEW ZEALAND

Many Kiwis don't distinguish between 'near' and 'square' vowel sounds, something which is increasingly common, says Gordon.

'In New Zealand you can sit on a chair, and give a loud cheer. It's the same sound.'

It's way you hear our national airline referred to as Ear New Zealand.

ALL GROWEN UP

There's about a 50-50 split for this one. Half of us say 'grown up', the other half 'growen up'.

PAAK YA CAA

As mostly a 'non-rhotic' accent, Kiwi generally skips the letter r when it comes to the 'nurse' vowel.

Park becomes 'paak', calm becomes 'caam' and farm becomes 'faam'.

'Except in Southland, and also now more and more Pacific Island English, you're hearing the 'R',' Gordon says.

CHANGING TIMES

New Zealand English, like all languages, is constantly developing. 'Every generation is changing, and the question is why does it go one way or the other? And it's a big question.'

Normally these changes take about 20 to 30 years before they're noticed.

The change in the 'kit' vowel was first noticed in the 1960s when Alison Holst was cooking fish – or fush – on the television.

'Often young women are at the forefront of change,' Gordon says. Why? 'Well, that's the big question, isn't it.'

* Comments on this story have now closed.