# The New Zealand Accent **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 16, 2013, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-zealand-accent/676449 "2013-12-16T09:52:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-zealand-accent/676449/61 "2013-12-16T17:28:55Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > I DO have authority here and you will stop that sort of talk immediately. > > Both insults and hate speech are not permitted. Doing so again under any circumstances will bring your posting privileges into jeopardy. > > Warning issued. > > Jonathan Chance > Moderator > Great Debates. Nice job, there. But you’re going to have to up your game just a bit more to get to [**Manhattan**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=2744558&postcount=26) levels, and [**Miller**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16619998&postcount=51) is still the one to beat for second place. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-zealand-accent/676449/62 "2013-12-16T17:35:34Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > Isn’t New Zealand about the size of one of our fifty states? We have a dozen accent in our own country to keep up with. Why would we be expected to tell the difference between NZ and any other English language accent? New York State has about the population of Australia, New Zealand has roughly half the population of Massachusetts. I’m guessing few folks outside the eastern US can reliably tell the difference between a Bostonian and New Yorker even though they are like night and day to my ears. Heck, there are at least 4-5 distinct accents I can identify in New England alone. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-zealand-accent/676449/63 "2013-12-16T17:38:09Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > … it always boggles my mind when I encounter people who think there’s just one ‘British’ accent. > [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > I’m not buying it. To me they all sound like Dick van Dyke in “Mary Poppins.” Dick Van Dyke had an accent all his own! I have heard all these separate British accents: - Queen’s English (old style newsreaders) - posh English - Welsh - Scottish - North London - South London - Essex (estuary) - East Anglian - West Country - Birmingham - Mancunian (Manchester) - Geordie (North East) - Scouse (Liverpool) ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-zealand-accent/676449/64 "2013-12-16T17:56:59Z")
I’m American. I have a passport. I’ve been to both Australia, and New Zealand. I still can’t tell them apart. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-zealand-accent/676449/65 "2013-12-16T18:09:16Z")
> [@Capt\_Kirk](#): > > One word > > Ovineaphobia > > 25 internet points to anyone who gets it **Hal Briston**. What do I win with 25 points? Do I get extra points for him now being a Mod? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-zealand-accent/676449/66 "2013-12-16T18:56:54Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I’m certain that to a citizen of either Australia or New Zealand, the difference seems far greater than it does to me, but that’s the way it always seems to work - as a Briton, my perception is that there is greater diversity of accent in spoken English within the British Isles than there is _in the rest of the English-speaking world put together_ - it always boggles my mind when I encounter people who think there’s just one ‘British’ accent. Do people really think there’s only one British accent? I know there’s a variety, and I can tell some of them apart, but they all have a “British” quality to them. Michael Caine and Daniel Craig don’t sound the same, but they both sound British and therefore somewhat similar. They probably sound wildly different to you since you know the accents better. I think it’s that way for almost anything comparing insider vs outsider knowledge. A connoisseur of classical music would think there’s a wide variety of different classical music, and might think it’s strange that anyone would confuse Bach with Chopin (just to pick two composers at random). But a non-classical music listener wouldn’t be able to identify either composer after hearing some of their music; the listener would probably only be able to say it was classical music. It’s the same for many subjects: jazz, beer, snakes, airplanes, British accents, any number of other things. If you are familiar with the subject, you think the differences are very obvious. If you’re not familiar with the subject, you just lump everything into one big category. I’m not sure if I’m explaining myself well, but that’s just what I think. > [@Telemark](#): > > New York State has about the population of Australia, New Zealand has roughly half the population of Massachusetts. I’m guessing few folks outside the eastern US can reliably tell the difference between a Bostonian and New Yorker even though they are like night and day to my ears. Heck, there are at least 4-5 distinct accents I can identify in New England alone. I think this is a big part of it. According to Wikipedia, Australia has a population of 23,313,935, and New Zealand has one of 4,468,200. So the average American has run into the Australian accent more often than the New Zealand accent, whether in person or through movies and TV. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-zealand-accent/676449/67 "2013-12-16T19:10:31Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > I’m not buying it. To me they all sound like Dick van Dyke in “Mary Poppins.” Can’t tell if serious, but if you are, you’re an example of what I was describing. Dick Van Dyke, in _Mary Poppins_, is the archetypal example of ‘not recognisable as any kind of English accent’. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-zealand-accent/676449/68 "2013-12-16T19:12:30Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Can’t tell if serious, but if you are, you’re an example of what I was describing. > > Dick Van Dyke, in _Mary Poppins_, is the archetypal example of ‘not recognisable as any kind of English accent’. Whoooooosh! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-zealand-accent/676449/69 "2013-12-16T19:20:20Z")
> [@Sam\_Lowry](#): > > Do people really think there’s only one British accent? I know there’s a variety, and I can tell some of them apart, but they all have a “British” quality to them. Michael Caine and Daniel Craig don’t sound the same, but they both sound British and therefore somewhat similar. They probably sound wildly different to you since you know the accents better. There are people (assuming they were serious) who have told me they couldn’t tell the difference between different UK accents - on this very board, but I’m struggling to think how I could find the threads in question. Daniel Craig and Michael Caine don’t actually sound all that different to me (when they are speaking calmly in their natural voices), but there are accents in this land that are on the borderline of intelligibility for me - for example, broad Yorkshire (which is actually a distinct dialect, not just an accent) and some of the Tyne and Teeside accents, when spoken fast - and by rights I ought to be OK with those, as my mother is from a small mining town north of Newcastle. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-zealand-accent/676449/70 "2013-12-16T19:25:47Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > I’m American. I have a passport. I’ve been to both Australia, and New Zealand. I still can’t tell them apart. Australia is dustier. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-zealand-accent/676449/71 "2013-12-16T19:26:36Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I take it you mean the very _English_ South African English accent, not the Afrikaans Souff Effrikun English accent? Don’t hear it, myself. I’m not sure. When I’ve encountered South Africans in Ireland they’ve sounded quite like Kiwis to my ears. Some have had what sounded to me like more obviously SA accents but I haven’t been exposed to enough accents to tell the English from the Afrikaans English accents. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-zealand-accent/676449/72 "2013-12-16T19:27:36Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > You need to have a word with those teachers. Maybe the OP should spend some time at the Derek Zealander Center for Kids Who Can’t Read Good and Wanna Learn to Do Other Stuff Good Too. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-zealand-accent/676449/73 "2013-12-16T19:30:17Z")
New Zealand is fictional, so they can’t have an accent. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-zealand-accent/676449/74 "2013-12-16T19:31:22Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > New York State has about the population of Australia, New Zealand has roughly half the population of Massachusetts. I’m guessing few folks outside the eastern US can reliably tell the difference between a Bostonian and New Yorker even though they are like night and day to my ears. Heck, there are at least 4-5 distinct accents I can identify in New England alone. Texas has a large variety of accents itself. From Big City Almost Regular Talk (Houston, sometimes Dallas), Southern Coastal Swampy Might as well be a Cajun Almost Talk, East Texas Talks Too Much to Varmints Talk, Texican, Austin Pot Head Musicians Speak? Talk, and West Texas / Panhandler Mangle Every Word Spoken cause of dry mouth Talk. But, to someone from NY, NY, can they tell them apart with only one person speaking? I doubt many Kiwis could either. . ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-zealand-accent/676449/75 "2013-12-16T19:32:29Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > So you live in a small county nobody ever talks about, and you’re complaining? Listen, pal, I live in an even smaller country the rest of the world won’t shut up about. Count your blessings. _applause_ ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-zealand-accent/676449/76 "2013-12-16T19:44:56Z")
On behalf of the 4.4m New Zealanders in existence, I’d just like to apologise for this bloke. Clearly he’s a few sheep short of a paddock! ---
**Author:** ![qubed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f07891/32.png) [@qubed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qubed)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-zealand-accent/676449/77 "2013-12-16T19:48:52Z")
Why would you be offended if your accent is mistaken for Australian, but _proud_ if mistaken for British or South African. That’s so odd. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-zealand-accent/676449/78 "2013-12-16T19:49:25Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Whoooooosh! Sure - it may be that the other past examples I mentioned are the same. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-zealand-accent/676449/79 "2013-12-16T19:50:32Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > New Zealand is fictional, so they can’t have an accent. You’re conflating it with The Netherlands - where Peter Pan lives. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-zealand-accent/676449/80 "2013-12-16T19:52:56Z")
New Zealand is an actual, geographic place. There’s no such thing as a _New Zealander_ though: they all (apart from **sandra\_nz** ) live in Australia. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-zealand-accent/676449.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-zealand-accent/676449.md?page=5)