Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Acknowledgements
- List of abbreviations
- Symbols used
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Overview and background
- 3 The historical background
- 4 Previous attempts to explain the origins of New Zealand English
- 5 Methodology
- 6 The variables of early New Zealand English
- 7 The origins of New Zealand English: reflections from the ONZE data
- 8 Implications for language change
- Appendix 1 Mobile Unit speakers
- Appendix 2 The historical background of some settlements visited by the Mobile Unit
- Appendix 3 Maps
- Appendix 4 Seven Mobile Unit speakers born outside New Zealand
- Appendix 5 Acoustic vowel charts for the ten speakers included in the acoustic analysis
- Appendix 6 Speaker indexes for quantified variables, together with relevant social information
- References
- Index
2 - Overview and background
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 September 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Acknowledgements
- List of abbreviations
- Symbols used
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Overview and background
- 3 The historical background
- 4 Previous attempts to explain the origins of New Zealand English
- 5 Methodology
- 6 The variables of early New Zealand English
- 7 The origins of New Zealand English: reflections from the ONZE data
- 8 Implications for language change
- Appendix 1 Mobile Unit speakers
- Appendix 2 The historical background of some settlements visited by the Mobile Unit
- Appendix 3 Maps
- Appendix 4 Seven Mobile Unit speakers born outside New Zealand
- Appendix 5 Acoustic vowel charts for the ten speakers included in the acoustic analysis
- Appendix 6 Speaker indexes for quantified variables, together with relevant social information
- References
- Index
Summary
In no other country was the speech of the children so good as it was in New Zealand … constant vigilance was the price to be paid for keeping the well of English undefiled in New Zealand.
(Mr John Caughley, Director of Education, cited in ‘English Undefiled: Is there an NZ accent?’, The Press, 5 February 1925)There is not enough difference between the environments of the Englishman and the New Zealander to produce the existing difference in pronunciation. It should evidently be the teacher's aim to stay the process, and if possible restore to the New Zealand speech the culture it has unfortunately lost. We must, therefore examine the faults one by one and enumerate the definite sounds of English that the colonial ear has failed to catch and reproduce.
(Mr E. W. Andrews, ‘New Zealand English’, The Triad, 10 August 1910)Overview of the study of New Zealand English
The English spoken in New Zealand has been the subject of comments since the early European settlers first began to notice new words and words being used in new ways. For example, in 1863 Samuel Butler (who later wrote the book Erewhon) wrote A First Year in Canterbury Settlement.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- New Zealand EnglishIts Origins and Evolution, pp. 6 - 35Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2004