Respectfully commenting on the South Island accent

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LittleGreyCat

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#72400 25-Nov-2010 14:29

As a stranger in your fair land I have been 'tiickled' by some of the pronunciations.

The first notable occasion was when we were going to talk to someone about car insurance.
The lady helping us said "You need to talk to Liz.

I was looking for some female but it was a white haired bloke.

Wild speculation about his privarte life was halted when I saw the name tag with 'Les' on it.

Having worked out that Les and Liz are pronounced the same I now wonder how you for instance tell the difference between sex and six.

Fancy drooping rount to my place for six/sex must sound very similar ;-)

Cheers

LGC

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153 posts

Master Geek

#409479 25-Nov-2010 14:35

Which brings to mind the Birmingham accent, and an ancient joke which relies on ""Kipper Tie"and "Cup of tea" being pronounced in the same way.

bazzer

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#409482 25-Nov-2010 14:36

Where are you from? I guess you don't have an accent?

freitasm

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Geekzone

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#409487 25-Nov-2010 14:43

This coming from the person saying something about "chelsea tractors"...

farcus

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#409488 25-Nov-2010 14:45

& where in the south island are you?

NZ has pretty much the same accent from the top of the north down to about Dunedin then south of Dunedin there is a slight variation.

Of course there are also slight variations in accent depending on ethnicity as well.

LittleGreyCat

153 posts

Master Geek

#409493 25-Nov-2010 15:00

My accent varies a bit, but is mainly BBC English (as was) or Southern, with an overlay of Northern England/South Wales depending on which set of relatives we are with at the time.

I can sound quite posh if I make a special effort.

Most people don't think they have an accent.
Someone once told my father "There's no dialect in Manchester, thaa knows".

I was charmed last time I was in NZ (some 20+ years ago) to be told, when I said I was from England, "But you don't have an accent".

Just commenting on how things sound different and how they can lead to misunderstandings.

Oh, and having moved from North to South (England) at an early age one of the main differences was how 'grass' was pronounced.

North pronounces it like the animal the ass. [Grass]
South pronounces it 'grarse''.
As in arse.

Cheers

LGC

gehenna

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#409497 25-Nov-2010 15:09

Southerners, I've observed, do tend to stress the R in any word that contains it, sometimes to the point of rolling the R. That's about all I've noticed though.

Nice to have such a consistent accent across the size of NZ, considering you can drive 10 minutes in the UK and strike 10 different accents.

LennonNZ

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#409504 25-Nov-2010 15:33

LittleGreyCat: As a stranger in your fair land I have been 'tiickled' by some of the pronunciations.

The Nyu Zulun Inglish ex-int ent tha bad.

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Jaxson

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#409507 25-Nov-2010 15:42

gehenna: Southerners, I've observed, do tend to stress the R in any word that contains it, sometimes to the point of rolling the R. That's about all I've noticed though.

Yup, it's all pirates down south, and a lot actually sound Australian in my experience.

FreakyKiwi

66 posts

Master Geek

#409516 25-Nov-2010 15:56

My cuzzies in Manchester always wondered why I wanted a pin...of course I was asking for a pen...

wongtop

565 posts

Ultimate Geek

#409517 25-Nov-2010 15:58

farcus: & where in the south island are you?

NZ has pretty much the same accent from the top of the north down to about Dunedin then south of Dunedin there is a slight variation.

Of course there are also slight variations in accent depending on ethnicity as well.

Youse fellas neva been to te East Cape area then? Cher

nickd

447 posts

Ultimate Geek

#409543 25-Nov-2010 16:41

LittleGreyCat: [...] Fancy drooping rount to my place for six/sex must sound very similar ;-)

Correct, and it is in our best interests to keep it that way.

LittleGreyCat

153 posts

Master Geek

#409908 26-Nov-2010 14:52

nickd:
LittleGreyCat: [...] Fancy drooping rount to my place for six/sex must sound very similar ;-)

Correct, and it is in our best interests to keep it that way.

Yes.

Just don't spoil it by saying "Öutstanding - so what time should I call round?".

BurningBeard

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#410579 29-Nov-2010 09:55

By and large the Kiwi accent doesn't vary too much up and down the country, but I do think of my cousins on the South Island West Coast and their peculiar brand of English.

Example:

Normal phrase: I quite like white wine, it's quite nice
West Coast version: Ohr quart loike whort whorne, ut's quart norse

My very metal Doctor Who theme

wmoore

510 posts

Ultimate Geek

#410603 29-Nov-2010 10:45

Yes down in the deep south they tend to roll their R's. Also they have different words for some things.
For example

A holiday home in the north island is usually called a Bach. In the south island it is called a crib.

Another word that gets mixed up is dick/deck

That one can lead to all sorts of problems.

"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." -
-- Abraham lincoln

Oblivian

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#410627 29-Nov-2010 11:40

Yer takin the puss.

I don't get why the english think we sound like how australians actually do. THEY don't spearate sex from six. We do.

And we say fish.. not fush like they think. I don't get it. Get one to say I and E.. they are different, then say pen and pin. Theres no real difference.

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