Are the OZ and NZ accents the same...

25-05-2006 12:34PM #1

...settle an argument.

Was watching Outrageous Fortune a few weeks back and the wife walked in and said 'New Zealand programme'? She than said that it's easy to tell the accents apart and that's how she knew it wasn't Australian. I say they're the EXACT same.

Who is right. And if there's a difference, what is it?

petes · 25-05-2006 12:38PM

I think they are different. Sad I know but have you ever watched Home and Away or Neighbours and then ever watched one of the New Zealand ones on really late on RTE1. Distinct difference I think. God I have to get out more.

KazDub · 25-05-2006 12:40PM

In fairness, that's like asking if Irish and English accents are the same. A lot of people can't tell them apart because they're not 'tuned' into the difference, yet to us they couldn't be confused with eachother.

The one thing I always spot about the Kiwi accents is the way they pronounce the letter 'i'. Watching LOTR extras on the DVD, you can hear Peter Jackson refer to the 'compact dusks'. It's more of a 'u' sound than an 'i'.

I'd only get the difference after a while of listening to someone speak and couldn't call myself brilliant at telling them apart, but they ARE different.

VroomVroom · 25-05-2006 12:42PM

They're fairly different accents! You can usually tell a Kiwi accent from the way they pronounce words that have an "E" in them, they seem to change it to an "I"!

Like, "I'll sind you a tixt missage about some six on Saturday!!!"

MrJoeSoap · 25-05-2006 12:55PM

Theres definitely a difference alright, Rachel Hunter is a good example of a very distinctive NZ accent.

Miss Fluff · 25-05-2006 01:02PM

Kiwis have much broader vowel sounds than the Aussies do, very distinct from each other if you ask me i.e.

An Aussie will say

"I theeenk I'd like to go for a dreeenk"

whereas a Kiwi will say

"I thunk I'd like to go for a drunk"

(I think I'd like to go for a drink - think I would actually)

I've made myself chuckle there lol:D

Miss Fluff · 25-05-2006 01:02PM

VroomVroom wrote:

Like, "I'll sind you a tixt missage about some six on Saturday!!!"

ROFL

Dave! · 25-05-2006 01:04PM

I think you're a racist, tbh... I bet ya think Chinese and Japanese people look the same too, huh? huh? :mad: scum!

*ahem*

I can't say I'm too familiar with the NZ accent... normally when I hear a "g'day mayte!" accent I assume they're Aussies, when they might be NZ? I dunno!

GoneShootin · 25-05-2006 01:05PM

KazDub wrote:

In fairness, that's like asking if Irish and English accents are the same. A lot of people can't tell them apart because they're not 'tuned' into the difference, yet to us they couldn't be confused with eachother.

In fairness, whoever says that needs to get their ears syringed, or are just plain ignorant.

BoozyBabe · 25-05-2006 01:07PM

Completely different!!!!

You can tell they are close to each other geographically, but if you've spent any time in either country or with people from either country, you'll be able to distinguish them a mile off

BoozyBabe · 25-05-2006 01:09PM

Miss Fluff wrote:

Kiwis have much broader vowel sounds than the Aussies do, very distinct from each other if you ask me i.e.

An Aussie will say

"I theeenk I'd like to go for a dreeenk"

whereas a Kiwi will say

"I thunk I'd like to go for a drunk"

(I think I'd like to go for a drink - think I would actually)

I've made myself chuckle there lol:D

v true!!

My diving instructor was a kiwi.
The call flippers fins, but he kept telling us to get our funs!!!!:D

WhiteWashMan · 25-05-2006 01:14PM

they are different.

Hydroquinone · 25-05-2006 01:26PM

GoneShootin wrote:

In fairness, whoever says that needs to get their ears syringed, or are just plain ignorant.

I don't imagine anyone from here would say it, obviously.
But Aussues and Kiwis might say it. If Conor74 can't tell the difference between English language accents on the other side of the planet, why should he not have an antipodean equivalent who can't either?

Some people can't tell a Canadian from an American, now as I think of it. Seems to me that just as Irish people would object to being thought of as English, by a foreigner, Canadians get stroppy if you think they're Americans and NZers are highly unamused if they're thought of as Australians.

I always find that the South Africans sound a bit Kiwi to me, even though I'm sure they don't at all, to them. And I can't think that I've ever heard a Namibian or a Zimbabewean speak, but I bet I'd get them arseways too.

FillSpectre · 25-05-2006 01:43PM

Very different. Then again so is Dublin accent and Cork one. I don't expect an American to spot the difference.

The Kiwis talk very differntly too with a lot more natural way of speaking rather than the hyper Ozies with ther constant high endings seeking approval. Everything sounds like a question from an Oz person if you ask me so that is the easy tell

Mossy Monk · 25-05-2006 02:00PM

totally different

MrJoeSoap · 25-05-2006 02:02PM

FillSpectre wrote:

Very different. Then again so is Dublin accent and Cork one. I don't expect an American to spot the difference.

I'd be very surprised if an American (or anyone for that matter) couldn't recognise a difference between a Cork and Dublin accent.

Mountjoy Mugger · 25-05-2006 02:11PM

It's not as if they're exactly "next door" to one another, so there will be some change in accent. The distance between Wellington and Sydney is over 2000km.

robinph · 25-05-2006 02:15PM

GoneShootin wrote:

In fairness, whoever says that needs to get their ears syringed, or are just plain ignorant.

Or have not spent much time listening to different Irish and English accents to then be able to notice the differences, or did you just ingore the point that was being made there?

FillSpectre · 25-05-2006 02:16PM

MrJoeSoap wrote:

I'd be very surprised if an American (or anyone for that matter) couldn't recognise a difference between a Cork and Dublin accent.

Watch the film Ned Kelly it is halarious. In one family there is about 5 different Irish accents.
When you hear a german accent can you tell what region they are from? I used to work with some and after about a month I suddenly could hear the difference in their accents through their English.

FillSpectre · 25-05-2006 02:29PM

Mountjoy Mugger wrote:

It's not as if they're exactly "next door" to one another, so there will be some change in accent. The distance between Wellington and Sydney is over 2000km.

Well you would want to be really ignorant to think they are very close to each other and not radically different. The native people being so different is impossible to miss even in main stream media.

How people should know is from the TV they watched

Degrassy Junior High lets us hear the Canadian accent(they say out funny)

Children of Fire Mountain let us know the Kiwi accent (they sound like they are talking through a door)

Neighbours let us know what Kylie Minogue looked like (they are high pitched and end every sentence like a question)

Now all you need to be is 30+ to get these references

If you want to do an australian ascent simple do a london accent with out opening your teeth and hey presto

A NZ is do a posh english accent with your teeth closed and use your lips to round your words
Can't remeber where I read that but it is true

FX Meister · 25-05-2006 02:51PM

It's not totally different as some people have said but it is similar. Fush and chups instead of fish and chips is a favourite one of mine.

Degsy · 25-05-2006 02:53PM

An ozzy would say "cuke the maan sam fackin eggs"
A kiwi would say "kuk the min sim fackin iggs!!

5starpool · 25-05-2006 02:56PM

A kiwi mate of mine is called Will, or as I like to call him, Wool.

Nightwish · 25-05-2006 02:57PM

Just watch Shortland Street for 5 mins and you'll be able to tell the difference.

tallus · 25-05-2006 03:12PM

The Kiwi accent is a bit like a watered down Aussie one, not as strong by a long shot, I find them a lot easier to understand, and they do pronounce they E's Like I's Aussies Pronounce their A's Like I's

Dave! · 25-05-2006 04:27PM

Degsy wrote:

An ozzy would say "cuke the maan sam fackin eggs"
A kiwi would say "kuk the min sim fackin iggs!!

And an Irish person would say.......????

25-05-2006 04:49PM

Degsy wrote:

An ozzy would say "cuke the maan sam fackin eggs"
A kiwi would say "kuk the min sim fackin iggs!!

Ah, I'm beginning to get it. Will have to tune in to Home and Away and Outrageous Fortune (which is very good actually) again.

petes · 25-05-2006 04:50PM

Nightwish wrote:

Just watch Shortland Street for 5 mins and you'll be able to tell the difference.

Thats the name of the one I was thinking of.

BigEejit · 25-05-2006 05:12PM

My brother is married to a kiwi and one time she was looking around my parents house for something and I asked what was it and she told me she was looking for a bikpik ...
I hadnt a clue what a bikpik was and as I had been asking for translations of what she was saying far too much and was a bit embarrased about doing it again I just pretended to be looking for something with her until she found it ... a back pack ...
that i had passed over a couple of times while pretending to look for something

but she herself admits that she has a very strong kiwi accent and lots of people had trouble understanding her

mysterious · 25-05-2006 05:38PM

MrJoeSoap wrote:

I'd be very surprised if an American (or anyone for that matter) couldn't recognise a difference between a Cork and Dublin accent.

ah but still:D

Snickers Man · 25-05-2006 06:10PM

They're similar but there are a few obivious differences and it's usually the vowel sounds that give them away. As in Fush and Chups, the Kiwi for fish and chips as already pointed out.

I once saw Germaine Greer (an Ozzie) slag off Kiwis by saying they basically have only two or three vowel sounds in their accent.

Another differentiator is Kiwis say six when they mean sex and sex when they mean six. Which can be very confusing.

As in 'Sexty nine is sixy'

Although in truth it's closer to suxy. Which is also quite true when you think about it........;)

Are the OZ and NZ accents the same...

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