The way New Zealand English vocabulary and pronunciation deviate from Standard English is alleged to cause confusion and misunderstanding for Non-New Zealanders. Even though it is claimed that the way New Zealanders speak is just a sign of laziness Jim Mora points out that “a major influence on the development of New Zealanders, through their particular way of speaking, are – consciously or otherwise– asserting a New Zealand identity” (Paul Warren, 2008). Does New Zealand English exist as a new version of English similar to American English or is it just a variant dialect of Standard English that slightly deviates, yet belongs? If so, what are the elements of difference between New Zealand English and Standard English?
New Zealand English is a new language of its own, it is unique and this essay will discuss and make this statement evident.
Since its establishment in the 15th and 16th century the written form of Standard English has been almost the same all over the world, except for some spelling variety. A distinguished variant of New Zealand English has existed since 1912, as a new dialect began to shape using and adopting Māori words to describe the different flora and fauna of New Zealand.
Grammatically, there is no major linguistic difference in formal New Zealand English; such as scientific paper, reports and poems, due to the fact that New Zealand English Grammar is literally indistinguishable from that of British English. The main evidence of the deviation of New Zealand English from Standard English is fundamentally lexical not grammatical. Vocabulary or Lexis, in both words and meanings, is the second most distinguished feature of New Zealand English following the distinctive accent. There is an evident M...
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...to this claim saying that “as a native New Zealander she can pronounce women correctly with two short “i” vowels and that “mispronouncing this word is ignorance, not inability”. (Goodwin 2005). New Zealand English is generally non-rhotic, except for those speakers having the so-called “Southern burr”. However, a semi-rhotic, Scottish influenced dialect is spoken in Southland and some parts of Otago. It is evident that the way in which those who speak New Zealand English do pronounce their words differently, making New Zealand English its own new and unique language.
To conclude, even though New Zealand English is initially driven from Standard British English, due to the regional influence of Australian English and the major lexical Maori influence, it has noticeably deviated from it is source as a means for New Zealanders to assert their unique identity.
The way people speak English is primarily affected by where and from whom they learned to speak it. In many cases,
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Cerjak ,The English Journal, Vol. 76, No. 5 (Sep., 1987), pp. 55-57 Published by: National Council of Teachers of English
As we mentioned above, one of influences that has made changes in English language over time is foreign
how the English language has changed in the many years from then until now. The
In Johnson’s preface to A Dictionary of the English Language, Johnson argues the importance of preserving language. Other dialects had a produced their own dictionaries, such as the French and Italians. Various writers of the eighteenth century were alarmed at the fact that there was no standard for the English language, since there was no standard it could easily become extinct. Johnson explored many points, such as how and why languages change as well as how many words are formed.
"New Zealand Culture - Maori." New Zealand Travel and New Zealand Business. Tourism New Zealand, 2011. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. .
Sharma, B., 2008. “World Englishes, English as a Lingua Franca, and English Pedagogy”, Journal of NELTA 13 (2), pp. 121-130. Available from
In a sociolinguist perspective “the idea of a spoken standardized language is a hypothetical construct” (Lippi-Green, 2012, pp. 57). They are the form of Britain English and American English that are used in textbooks and on broadcasting. Giles and Coupland observe that “A standard variety is the one that is most often associated with high socioeconomic status, power and media usage in a particular community” (1991, p. 38). Both native speakers and learners of English, where English is taught as a second or foreign language (hereafter ESL/EFL), speak dialect of English in everyday conversation (Kachru, 2006, pp. 10-11; Owens 2012, p.
Contrary to what the early detractors of the American English language used to say, American English is not an offensive offshoot of real English, but has over the centuries made its own mark in the world of language and communication, and is also poised at this juncture in human history to actually slowly become the main dialect of English the world over due to the America-centric communication and technological advances made over the past few decades. It is hoped that this essay has given but a glimpse of not only what American English has become, but what it can yet become should America remain a social, cultural, and technological leader in years to come.
The beginnings of English can be found in the occupation of England from the 5th century by north and west German ethnic groups who brought their 'indigenous dialects' (Seargeant, P. 2012, p. 1). The Oxford English Dictionary defines English as 'Of or related to the West Germanic language spoken in England and used in many varieties throughout the world' (Seargeant, P. 2012, p. 7). Invasion in the 9th century by Scandinavians, who settled in the north of England and the establishment of Danelaw in 886 AD defining the area governed by the Danes in the north and east, had a marked effect on the language spoken there (Beal, J. 2012, p. 59). These periods are known as Early and Later Old English (Beal, J. 2012, p. 50).
The Treaty of Waitangi is a very important document to New Zealand. It is an agreement that was drawn up by representatives of the British Crown and Maori Hapu and Iwi. It was first signed at the Bay of Islands on February 6th, 1840. There has been a lot of debate over the years about the translation of words between the English and Te Reo Maori versions of the text and the differences in the word meaning over the who languages. In this assignment I am going to cover the rights and responsibilities that the treaty contains and an explanation of the differences in wordings and I am also going to contextualise my understanding of the differences of wording against the Maori Worldview and the Declaration of Independence.
The rules for spelling were set down for the first time. The key is the new consistency used by teachers, printers and eventually by the general populace. The sign of maturity for English was the agreement on one set of rules replacing the free-for-all spelling that had existed. Out of the variety of local dialects there emerged toward the end of the fourteenth century a written language that in course of the fifteenth century won general recognition and has since become the recognized standard in speech and writing. The part of England that contributed most to the formation of this standard was the East Midlands type of English that became its basis, particularly the dialect of the metropolis, London.
Reading of Chapter four in the textbook titled " Foreign Influences on Old English,” the followings are the terms that came across as interesting and necessary for the understanding of the extent of foreign influence on the old English language: