Planet Rugby Forum

"Oim Soimin Brudges. Oim standing for leeda of the Nesional pardy"

For an outsider's perspective I invited the British sociolinguist Professor Peter Trudgill to listen to a recording of Simon Bridges.

He wrote this:

"This is a fantastic New Zealand accent which I'm very excited to have heard, with many of the features which serve most strongly to distinguish the Kiwi from the Aussie. English-speaking people from the Northern Hemisphere generally have great trouble in telling Australians and New Zealanders from one another, but with Simon Bridges this is not the case. His is a very un-Australian accent with most of the innovating, modern NZ features which will over the coming decades take the two accents further apart.

"The Kiwi accent is going to become more and more distinctive as the decades go by: all the accents of English around the world are gradually diverging from one another. Simon Bridges has an accent which is in many respects in the vanguard of this development in NZ. This is the accent of the New Zealand of the future, and people who don't like it had better get used to it."

Today we can listen to recordings of people who were young men and women when the complaints about the early New Zealand accent were being made and we wonder what the fuss was about. They just sound like old New Zealanders. In 50 years time people will listen to recordings of Simon Bridges and wonder why on earth people were commenting on his pronunciation.

all the accents of English around the world are gradually diverging from one another.

J Man wrote:

all the accents of English around the world are gradually diverging from one another.

I would have thought the opposite - with all the American media we consume, that we would all converge on a pan-American accent.

Newsome wrote:

J Man wrote:

all the accents of English around the world are gradually diverging from one another.

I would have thought the opposite - with all the American media we consume, that we would all converge on a pan-American accent.

Nothing worse than a foreigner who speaks English with an American accent. I actually think they should be killed. Modest I know, but a necessary course of action.

J Man wrote:

all the accents of English around the world are gradually diverging from one another.

I would have thought the opposite - with all the American media we consume, that we would all converge on a pan-American accent.

eldanielfire wrote:

J Man wrote:

all the accents of English around the world are gradually diverging from one another.

I would have thought the opposite - with all the American media we consume, that we would all converge on a pan-American accent.

That was my thought.

eldanielfire wrote:

J Man wrote:

all the accents of English around the world are gradually diverging from one another.

I would have thought the opposite - with all the American media we consume, that we would all converge on a pan-American accent.

That was my thought.

backrow wrote:wont lie, I often find it hard to tell kiwi and aussie apart. unless the aussie has the stupid 'making everything sound like a question' higher pitch at the end of a sentence, or the kiwi has the 'ay so bro' added into every sentence ay so, then I'm prone to getting them mixed up.

easiest way to tell usually is if racist & arrogant and not very good at spelling, then its an aussie - if its slightly quieter and more religious then its kiwi.

however, there is an easy visual clue between them if speaking to a female, wb = aussie

Santa wrote:

eldanielfire wrote:

J Man wrote:

all the accents of English around the world are gradually diverging from one another.

I would have thought the opposite - with all the American media we consume, that we would all converge on a pan-American accent.

That was my thought.

I think the difference is that the academic guy studies this shit and you don't.

naki wrote:

backrow wrote:wont lie, I often find it hard to tell kiwi and aussie apart. unless the aussie has the stupid 'making everything sound like a question' higher pitch at the end of a sentence, or the kiwi has the 'ay so bro' added into every sentence ay so, then I'm prone to getting them mixed up.

easiest way to tell usually is if racist & arrogant and not very good at spelling, then its an aussie - if its slightly quieter and more religious then its kiwi.

however, there is an easy visual clue between them if speaking to a female, wb = aussie

We sometimes get mistaken for South African also. That one hurts.

backrow wrote:

naki wrote:

backrow wrote:wont lie, I often find it hard to tell kiwi and aussie apart. unless the aussie has the stupid 'making everything sound like a question' higher pitch at the end of a sentence, or the kiwi has the 'ay so bro' added into every sentence ay so, then I'm prone to getting them mixed up.

easiest way to tell usually is if racist & arrogant and not very good at spelling, then its an aussie - if its slightly quieter and more religious then its kiwi.

however, there is an easy visual clue between them if speaking to a female, wb = aussie

We sometimes get mistaken for South African also. That one hurts.

really ? by English ?
I don't think antipodean accents sound anything like saffa accents, especially the guttural Efrikaaaaaaanz ones

backrow wrote:

naki wrote:

backrow wrote:wont lie, I often find it hard to tell kiwi and aussie apart. unless the aussie has the stupid 'making everything sound like a question' higher pitch at the end of a sentence, or the kiwi has the 'ay so bro' added into every sentence ay so, then I'm prone to getting them mixed up.

easiest way to tell usually is if racist & arrogant and not very good at spelling, then its an aussie - if its slightly quieter and more religious then its kiwi.

however, there is an easy visual clue between them if speaking to a female, wb = aussie

We sometimes get mistaken for South African also. That one hurts.

really ? by English ?
I don't think antipodean accents sound anything like saffa accents, especially the guttural Efrikaaaaaaanz ones

naki wrote:

backrow wrote:

naki wrote:

backrow wrote:wont lie, I often find it hard to tell kiwi and aussie apart. unless the aussie has the stupid 'making everything sound like a question' higher pitch at the end of a sentence, or the kiwi has the 'ay so bro' added into every sentence ay so, then I'm prone to getting them mixed up.

easiest way to tell usually is if racist & arrogant and not very good at spelling, then its an aussie - if its slightly quieter and more religious then its kiwi.

however, there is an easy visual clue between them if speaking to a female, wb = aussie

We sometimes get mistaken for South African also. That one hurts.

really ? by English ?
I don't think antipodean accents sound anything like saffa accents, especially the guttural Efrikaaaaaaanz ones

Yes, by English and (less often) Americans. There is some vowel sound crossover, unfortunately, mostly with the more Anglo-sounding Saffers

Still far more likely to be mistaken for Australian though

Santa wrote:My worry is that the developing New Zealand accents make Kiwis sound thick. It is not the stuff of international business.

backrow wrote:

naki wrote:

backrow wrote:

naki wrote:

backrow wrote:wont lie, I often find it hard to tell kiwi and aussie apart. unless the aussie has the stupid 'making everything sound like a question' higher pitch at the end of a sentence, or the kiwi has the 'ay so bro' added into every sentence ay so, then I'm prone to getting them mixed up.

easiest way to tell usually is if racist & arrogant and not very good at spelling, then its an aussie - if its slightly quieter and more religious then its kiwi.

however, there is an easy visual clue between them if speaking to a female, wb = aussie

We sometimes get mistaken for South African also. That one hurts.

really ? by English ?
I don't think antipodean accents sound anything like saffa accents, especially the guttural Efrikaaaaaaanz ones

Yes, by English and (less often) Americans. There is some vowel sound crossover, unfortunately, mostly with the more Anglo-sounding Saffers

Still far more likely to be mistaken for Australian though

hmmm wel lmaybe I'm more attuned to saffas and their god-awful accent, on account of being married to one. even so, even a decade ago I wouldn't have mixed them up, and there are enough saffas kiwis and aussies in London to cross paths with (I can totally get how if someone hears an unfamiliar accent, then the liken it to something else)


I also rarely can tell Americans from Canadians, unless its an obvious Nooo Yawk accent, a Deep South y'all drawl, or Abooot Canuck

backrow wrote:

naki wrote:

backrow wrote:

naki wrote:

backrow wrote:wont lie, I often find it hard to tell kiwi and aussie apart. unless the aussie has the stupid 'making everything sound like a question' higher pitch at the end of a sentence, or the kiwi has the 'ay so bro' added into every sentence ay so, then I'm prone to getting them mixed up.

easiest way to tell usually is if racist & arrogant and not very good at spelling, then its an aussie - if its slightly quieter and more religious then its kiwi.

however, there is an easy visual clue between them if speaking to a female, wb = aussie

We sometimes get mistaken for South African also. That one hurts.

really ? by English ?
I don't think antipodean accents sound anything like saffa accents, especially the guttural Efrikaaaaaaanz ones

Yes, by English and (less often) Americans. There is some vowel sound crossover, unfortunately, mostly with the more Anglo-sounding Saffers

Still far more likely to be mistaken for Australian though

hmmm wel lmaybe I'm more attuned to saffas and their god-awful accent, on account of being married to one. even so, even a decade ago I wouldn't have mixed them up, and there are enough saffas kiwis and aussies in London to cross paths with (I can totally get how if someone hears an unfamiliar accent, then the liken it to something else)


I also rarely can tell Americans from Canadians, unless its an obvious Nooo Yawk accent, a Deep South y'all drawl, or Abooot Canuck

Rowdy wrote:Mrs R's Durban accent is sometimes taken for NZ.

Any YouTube videos of this chap with his exciting new accent? And why is a new accent developing anyway?

naki wrote:

Rowdy wrote:Mrs R's Durban accent is sometimes taken for NZ.

Any YouTube videos of this chap with his exciting new accent? And why is a new accent developing anyway?

https://youtu.be/XswsCF9m2WU

Seneca of the Night wrote:

Tehui wrote:John Key also had a heinous kiwi accent.

His turrible accent really came through on the Letterman show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aM4MH-15YA

Yet key rise to the top of investment banking with its blue blood Boston affectations.

Chips wrote:I know some Kiwis might be proud of their accent

Chips wrote:I know some Kiwis might be proud of their accent but it really is quite awful. It's more like an extreme South African dialect than an Australasian derivative.

Maybe a targetted cull can save you?

koroke hangareka wrote:

backrow wrote:

naki wrote:

backrow wrote:wont lie, I often find it hard to tell kiwi and aussie apart. unless the aussie has the stupid 'making everything sound like a question' higher pitch at the end of a sentence, or the kiwi has the 'ay so bro' added into every sentence ay so, then I'm prone to getting them mixed up.

easiest way to tell usually is if racist & arrogant and not very good at spelling, then its an aussie - if its slightly quieter and more religious then its kiwi.

however, there is an easy visual clue between them if speaking to a female, wb = aussie

We sometimes get mistaken for South African also. That one hurts.

really ? by English ?
I don't think antipodean accents sound anything like saffa accents, especially the guttural Efrikaaaaaaanz ones

Yeah, but you think you can distinguish Kiwis from Aussies by the Australian high rising tone at the end of a sentence, which they picked up from, erm— us.

naki wrote:

Rowdy wrote:Mrs R's Durban accent is sometimes taken for NZ.

Any YouTube videos of this chap with his exciting new accent? And why is a new accent developing anyway?

https://youtu.be/XswsCF9m2WU

Tehui wrote:John Key also had a heinous kiwi accent.

His turrible accent really came through on the Letterman show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aM4MH-15YA

naki wrote:

Chips wrote:I know some Kiwis might be proud of their accent

What kind of tosser would be “proud” of their accent?

Chips wrote:

Tehui wrote:John Key also had a heinous kiwi accent.

His turrible accent really came through on the Letterman show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aM4MH-15YA

The NZ Prime Minister going on prime-time network American TV and describing NZ as "Like England but without the attitude".

Can you imagine if Theresa May described England as "Like New Zealand but with 60 years of social evolution since the 1950s".

There would be threads on it, rest assured.

Chips wrote:

naki wrote:

Chips wrote:I know some Kiwis might be proud of their accent

What kind of tosser would be “proud” of their accent?

A Kiwi tosser.

naki wrote:

Chips wrote:

Tehui wrote:John Key also had a heinous kiwi accent.

His turrible accent really came through on the Letterman show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aM4MH-15YA

The NZ Prime Minister going on prime-time network American TV and describing NZ as "Like England but without the attitude".

Can you imagine if Theresa May described England as "Like New Zealand but with 60 years of social evolution since the 1950s".

There would be threads on it, rest assured.

You’re proving his* point perfectly.

*whichever Letterman staff writer came up with that line