LYCOS RETRIEVER 
New Zealand English: New Zealanders
built 613 days ago
Through the latter half of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first century, New Zealanders have grown to see their unique variety of English with fervent interest and increasing respect. NZE has indeed become an integral aspect of national identity, distinguishing Kiwis—both Pakeha and Maori—from their Australian neighbours and from English speakers throughout the world. G.W. Turner explains that “New Zealanders, like Canadians, define themselves negatively, explaining in England that they are not Australians and in Australia trying not to feel rather English” (Turner 21). Despite NZE’s debt to both BrE and AusE, New Zealanders—as linguists have proven—do not speak like anyone else. Language is vital to self-identification within New Zealand as well.
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New Zealand was the last significant land mass to be inhabited by humans, both in terms of indigenous settlement and European domination. This, combined with geological youth and geographical isolation, has led to the development of a young, vigorous nation with a well-travelled, well-educated expatriate population of 1,000,000. (1 in 4 born New Zealanders and 1 in 3 between ages 22 and 48 have left their place of Birth for more favorable locations). It ... has some spectacular scenery, flora and fauna.
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As in Australian English, some New Zealanders will insert the schwa to words such as grown, thrown and mown, resulting in grow-en, throw-en and mo-wen. However, groan, throne and moan are all unaffected, meaning these word pairs can be distinguished by ear, unlike in English English. This characteristic may be inherited from Lincolnshire English.
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The first New Zealanders were the Maoris, who travelled there by boat about ten thousand years ago. Maori legend has it that Maui magically fished New Zealand’s north island up out of the sea. The south island was his canoe. When you look at a map of the north island, it looks like a fish.
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A vowel shift has occurred in New Zealand English. Front vowels, with one exception, are pronounced higher in the mouth than in England English. RP /ɪ/, the unrounded near-close near-front lax vowel, has moved to [ə] (schwa). Some non-NZ speakers mistakenly assert that, when New Zealanders say "fish and chips" they say "fush and chups". This may be asserted because of the lack of a letter for schwa. In the list below, the latter word is how the former word may sound to the ears of a non-New Zealander:
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Kiwifruit - A plum-sized green fleshed fruit, with fine black seeds in the flesh, originating from China, selectively bred in New Zealand, and first known to the home gardener as the Chinese Gooseberry. Now commercially farmed, with production centred on Te Puke but in many orcharding areas. Slices often served on pavlova. Known by its full name of kiwifruit and never shortened to [K]iwi in New Zealand, as kiwis are endangered birds or New Zealanders.
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