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Thread: Who has mastered the Kiwi Accent?

  1. #1
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    Default Who has mastered the Kiwi Accent?

    I was wondering who out there has truly adopted the so-called Kiwi Twang and whether it was nore difficult to pick up if you are from the UK or the US. I ask because picking up the accent was priority one for me when I went to NZ. I spent some time watching TVNZ online before leaving so I had an idea of the accent. My accent was never flawless, but it was good enough that people only picked up on mistakes if they knew I was American and sat there listening for any inaccuracies, usually they would tell me some pronunciation sounded too Aussie once and a while.

    Other Americans I knew tried to pick up the accent but all failed miserably. Perhaps it was easier for me because I am from Boston, a city with an accent closer to the British accent. We drop our 'R' and use a broad 'A' and use the term rubbish instead of trash and elastic rather than rubber band.

    Anyway tell me if you have had any success or failure with the accent and if you think it is more advantageous to keep your native accent or develop the local one.

  2. #2
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    I'm from the North East of England and have kept my native dialect.
    Granted I do have to calm it down when talking to the locals otherwise they'd never understand a word I say!!
    I have picked up a few kiwi words - for example I vaccuum now I don't hoover.

  3. #3
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    I really don't think your actual accent matters, its more getting use to actually understanding the kiwi accent, the unique turns of phrase and the sense of humour.

    Personally, I think trying to deliberately adopt/mimic an accent to try and fit in is a bit false, but there are also some folks that naturally pick up accents because they are with it all day long and sound a native kiwi pretty quickly!

  4. #4
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    I found this a very odd post when I read it.

    I can't say that it would ever occur to me to even attempt to pick up another accent deliberately (other than to take the mickey of course ).

    If I happen to pick up some kiwi nuances as a matter of course now I live here, then so be it, it's only natural. I fully expect the kids to be full on 'awesome' 'sweet as' kids before I can blink. That's fine, but far from a deliberate act.

    Accents are one of the things that make us all different aren't they? I don't want to look or act like someone else, so why would I want to sound like someone else?

    Of course that's just me. If you feel the need to adopt an accent then go for it, if it makes you feel more comfortable, but I'll give it a miss.

  5. #5
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    I sound the same as I ever did, I haven't had to try to not pick up the accent, but I am fairly determined not to change my accent. For a start, I really don't like what the kiwi accent does to vowels - sorry Kiwis! I was listening to the radio this morning, and they seemed to be going on about a competition to see who was a good "pecker", which was really puzzling me, I thought they meant short kisses - turns out it was packer of course!

    The other reason is, I know it will freak out my Dad and other friends and family if I start to sound different on the phone. The kids still sound the same too, although Poppy ends her statements on a high inflection now.

    At work, I have to deliberately pronounce some words the Kiwi way when I am assessing young children, as they have struggled to understand me, so it's 'cheer' instead of 'chair', 'beer instead of 'bear' and 'peer' instead of pear. I feel really weird when I have to do this, it clunks into the sentence and feels really false.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sam B View Post
    I really don't like what the kiwi accent does to vowels - sorry Kiwis! I was listening to the radio this morning, and they seemed to be going on about a competition to see who was a good "pecker", which was really puzzling me, I thought they meant short kisses - turns out it was packer of course!1
    I always have a little giggle that TV 'en' 'zed' appears to be called TV 'in' 'zid' and can rarely control myself at the 'Bidpost' adverts.

    I'm sure they think I'm weird too (stop it!)

    I've also had real trouble trying to explain to kiwi's that my name is Sam. I have found I need to say my name is 'Sim'

    Ho hum, it all adds to life's rich tappestry

  7. #7
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    Hmmm, yeah, I get called Sem, most annoying!

  8. #8
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    It would never occur to me to try and pick up an accent deliberately.

    English is not my mother tongue so I don't have my own lifelong accent going, or indeed any region that I am connected to. And I think that may be a reason why I often start to talk like the people I am talking to.

    I've lived in London now for 11 years, and on the whole have a 'standard' BE pronunciation. I have been accused of sounding posh, but no one normally thinks I am anything other than British. I used to live in the States, and no one ever thought I was anything other than American...

    Now I am no fan at all of the NZ English, and it irks me to think that I will probably pick that one up, too. I noticed a definite change in the way I talk just on the phone to recruitment agents!

    I don't mind my children adjusting their accents, they now have an East London one, so anything is better than that, innit.

    Oh, and my favourite Kiwi vowel is 'pig' as in the animal you use to fasten clothes to your washing line...

    Daniela

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cat Woman View Post

    I have picked up a few kiwi words - for example I vaccuum now I don't hoover.
    Funny that - they all say "Lux" or Luxing down here, I hadn't the foggiest what it meant, then I worked out it was short for 'Electrolux' funny how the popular make the popular slang term....

    and no haven't picked up a Kiwi accent, infact I doubt I'd loose my Lincolnshire/english accent. mine was not really a certain accent anyway as I had lived abroad before.

    Kat

  10. #10
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    I have asked my friends to let me know if my accent starts changing - and then I will start listening to the BBC world service until it's back to normal!

    I have noticed that my husband's accent is much stronger now - he's a Kiwi but had been in the UK for 12 years. In the UK he sounded like a Kiwi still, but now he REALLY sounds like a Kiwi.

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