Questions tagged [new-zealand-english]
Questions about English used in New Zealand.
25 questions
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Dialect using "woman" instead of "women"?
If you watch this VICE episode, the presenter sounds like a native speaker, but uses "woman" instead of "women" every time (probably over a dozen times in the 10 minute video).
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What is the origin of the phrase "up the guts"
'Up the guts' is a colloquial phrase used in New Zealand and Australia generally to refer to a direct (both literal and figurative) approach to something.
It is somewhat vulgar, but not generally ...
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Is there an AmE/BrE equivalent to the New Zealand English word 'whanau'?
In an MSN News article about increasing firearms in the UK, which mentioned the recent death of Sergeant Matiu Ratana (originally from New Zealand) in a Croydon custody suite, the word 'whanau' was ...
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Could anyone ID this accent?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_QckQZHa1s (the first person to speak)
I was told it's Australian, but the Australians I met sounded very different.
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How do New Zealanders teach vowel sounds when they mostly pronounce vowels short 'i'?
I have often wondered when listening to New Zealanders speak how they actually teach vowels in schools. I am Australian and we tend to drawl out the vowel sounds but lots of other nations do not - New ...
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How often do you use 'nowadays' vs 'these days' in your dialect?
I would say that in South Africa, nowadays is rather quaint; something that perhaps Boomers and older or second language speakers would use. Unfortunately, I cautioned a student nearly a year ago ...
2
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What did "John Boy" mean (as an insult) in New Zealand around 1977?
According to the records of the New Zealand Parliament, "John Boy" was considered unparliamentary language in 1977. What did the phrase mean though, back then, over there? Urban dictionary seems say ...
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In New Zealand English, is it usual to pronounce the words "women" and "woman" the same? [duplicate]
For example, in this video from 2:00 onwards, the Prime Minister of New Zealand says "woman/women" several times. The context shows clearly that she means the word to be plural, but she says "...
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What word do I use to describe people from India & neighboring countries
Please note I am not trying to be offensive in this question. If I were to refer to people from China/Korea/Japan without specifying their country I would use the term "Asian" and likewise for people ...
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2
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Can't figure out the Kiwi accent
I'm not a native English speaker and the American accent is the most familiar to me.
I plan to visit NZ for a Working holiday program, but I'm concerned that I won't understand what they say. I can ...
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Is the English spoken in the Cook Islands similar to New Zealand English?
I saw a Cook Islands tourism ad, and the English spoken there seemed very similar to New Zealand English. For example, the accent, and the use of "bro". (The sense of humour is also very similar to ...
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3
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'These umbrellas are boomerangs' means 'they have to be returned'?
This afternoon, my manager bought some umbrellas for our office, saying: 'These umbrellas are boomerangs'.
I was puzzled as I only knew this word as a weapon originated in Australia, or in the noun ...
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2
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Which word means 'too sweet' - 'cloying' or 'gluggy'?
I just had an interesting conversation with my NZ colleague regarding some sweets on the table. I turned down her offer, saying it was too 'cloying' for me, which got her stumped. After I explained ...
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Is the third conditional disappearing in American English?
New Zealander here. I came across a sentence similar to the following:
If I moved, I might've been found.
To me, this is grammatically incorrect. It should be:
If I'd moved, I might've been ...
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How did the term "bolshie" come to be applied to birds?
This question is prompted by a term in http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/73108561/Council-warning-threatened-falcon-species-launch-fists-of-fury-against-walkers
Falcons were bolshie birds, ...
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How common is "kia ora" in New Zealand English?
As I understand it, the Maori greeting "kia ora" is used by many New Zealanders.
How likely is this greeting to be used in New Zealand English by people who don't speak Maori?
On one end of the ...
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How common is 'Sweet as.' in the rest of the world?
In New Zealand, we have slang 'Sweet as', which means 'That's ok', 'No problems', 'All good'.
eg.
Sorry I'm not going to be able to make it today, my child is sick.
Sweet as - can you do next week?
...
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2
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2
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692
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What is the etymology of "Pasifika"?
What is the etymology of the term "Pasifika", which can mean the Pacific Islands, people of Pacific Island heritage (in a New Zealand context), or a festival held in Auckland about Pacific Island ...
- 18.2k
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4
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What is the origin of the phrase "do a line with someone"?
What is the origin of the phrase "do a line with someone", meaning "have a regular romantic or sexual romantic relationship with someone"?
I learnt this phrase from an Irish colleague of mine the ...
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4
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What's the origin of "dinkum"?
Dinkum as a noun means work, especially hard work. As an adjective, like fair dinkum, it means honest or genuine.
Other than saying it's chiefly Australian and New Zealand, the OED simply says "...
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7
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Cardinal British Dates - A Kiwi Original?
I had never heard the use of cardinal numbers in dates when speaking until I moved to New Zealand. It seems particularly prevalent in TV and radio advertising, but doesn't seem to follow either ...
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4
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Is "early mark" only used in Australia and New Zealand?
What countries is "early mark" used in? It means being let out of something, typically school, early.
onelook.com only reports it being mentioned in Urban Dictionary, and it doesn't have information ...
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Etymology of "choice" — New Zealand vernacular
One of the things that I hear all the time over here in NZ is the phrase 'Choice'. Which is used in a similar way to great or fantastic or awesome. For example,
That party was choice!
I can't seem ...
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Why are almost all vowels pronounced "i" in New Zealand English?
One thing I always notice when I'm hearing Kiwis speaking English is the fact that almost every vowel turns into /ɪ/. Here's a video which illustrates the point (listen to them when they speak vowels)....
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New Zealand pronunciation of "women" vs "woman"
I have read in a number of places that the NZ pronunciation of "women" must be rather peculiar. Quoting from just one such place:
For some years I've noted the tendency of Kiwis to pronounce "woman"...
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