Australian/NZ accent

Kinoko · Mon 26/04/2004 15:32:38

For the first time after 21 years of watching American tv shows, I'm just starting to be able to pick up the difference between the American and Canadian accents.

So I was curious as to whether people outside of Australia and New Zealand can tell the difference between our accents? To us, it's about as obvious as you can get but I know how hard it can be when you're not used to hearing even one of the accents.

shbaz · Mon 26/04/2004 16:12:33

Yeah, really obvious.. I think.

See, I had a professor from NZ and he sounded proper British to me, and aussies have slang terms and everything else.. but he was schooled in England so he could have picked it up there. He did start college when he was 14 and get out at 22, so it would be easy for that to happen.

TerranRich · Mon 26/04/2004 17:09:06

I've never really heard a New Zealand accent, so I wouldn't know the difference. And yes, Americans and Canadians do have a slight difference in accent, so for you to notice it means you're very observant.

AGA · Mon 26/04/2004 17:17:06

I've never heard a NZ accents (to my knowledge), but I know the stereotypical NZer has a different sounding accent from an Aussie. So assuming NZers sound like the stereotypes, then I think I could tell the difference

shbaz · Mon 26/04/2004 17:33:58

The key difference between an American and Canadian accent would be a mild french addition or an abundance of "eh" added after sentences. There are a ton of different American accents, however. It's a big country..

Vel · Mon 26/04/2004 18:14:21

Not being a native speaker myself, I think that it's hard to differ such close accents, although I don't really remember hearing NZ accent. The aussie one rocks though. As if someone is constantly angry at you.

Layabout · Mon 26/04/2004 18:22:21

Six sound's like sex. it sounds like et. that sounds like thaet.

Basic vowel pronounciation is different. Thats about it.

DGMacphee · Mon 26/04/2004 18:29:13

If you watched the last Oscars, you'll know what a New Zealand accent sounds like.

ElectricMonk · Mon 26/04/2004 19:18:51

QuoteIf you watched the last Oscars, you'll know what a New Zealand accent sounds like.

Yeah, I know it ever since the two extended DVD editions.
And since watching Heavenly Creatures. "I think your drawing's fentestic."

Las Naranjas · Mon 26/04/2004 22:17:58

Fush and Chups.

LordHart · Tue 27/04/2004 02:06:41

Need te geet thee fush und chups at the fush und chups shup... und pet thum in thee frudge...

Fucking New Zealanders... learn how to speak english!

(note :: I can't really spell it the way they say it... its too odd...)

Domino · Tue 27/04/2004 02:11:20

I work with a person who came to the US from New Zealand, and he sounds more british than anything, but he's been here since 1987, so he's starting to sound more american. But he definetly has an accent.

Dart · Tue 27/04/2004 02:18:16

Quote from: shbazjinkens on Mon 26/04/2004 17:33:58
The key difference between an American and Canadian accent would be a mild french addition or an abundance of "eh" added after sentences. There are a ton of different American accents, however. It's a big country..

Psh... We Canadians don't say "eh" that much. In fact, I know no one who does.

But you're right about that French addition.

Tim Sample · Tue 27/04/2004 02:54:46

I bet no one has heard of me! lol The stero typical Maina

LordHart · Tue 27/04/2004 03:47:16

Quote from: Tim Sample on Tue 27/04/2004 02:54:46
I bet no one has heard of me! lol The stero typical Maina

And I hope we never hear of you...

Peter Thomas · Tue 27/04/2004 04:43:42

Well... I'm australian, so I suppose I'm not really eligible to answer the question, but i LOVE the new zealand accent. It's not actually as bad as a lot of people make out. It's not so much "fush and chups" as it is "fsh 'nd chps". But not that retarded...

I love the aussie accent more, though. It just rolls of the tongue!

Kinoko · Tue 27/04/2004 05:06:27

I quite like it too, the NZ accent I mean. It used to sound completely weird to me but I'm getting used to it now. It's definitely not as bad as a lot of aussies make it out to be but... it IS very different to the Australian accent. As to it sounding more Brittish, I'd never picked up on that before.

I never thought Canadians said 'eh' much at all, but Americans seem to -always- say that about them. Kind of like how Americans think Australians finish everything off with "mate". ^_^

Blech, Heavenly Creatures... that movie freaked me out.

rtf · Tue 27/04/2004 05:44:38

I have a related question.
Anyone in the USA:
Do Californians really have an accent?

My cousins from Delaware came by a week ago, and I heard them commenting on our "Strange Accent"

It's really wierd if you think about it

LordHart · Tue 27/04/2004 06:51:39

Laike, furr sure...

Las Naranjas · Tue 27/04/2004 07:31:07

How can someone not have an accent?

Although I assume you mean "an accent distinguishable from other American accents", and that is true. It's sorta fun to go up to a foreign student in a pub and point at them and say "Cal!" and they go "How did you know?"

Australia lacks to variety of regional accents that America, Britain [especially] and other countries have. There are some differences, like the tendency of South and Western Australians to be closer to what's considered a pommy accent, since the former was always a free colony, and thus wasn't influenced by the Cockneys and Irish nearly as much [the two accents that form the broadest base of the Australian accent], and the latter has always been the closest linked to Britain. I think too that the traditional predominance of Northern English workers in Wollongong and Newcastle has had some effect, and the fact that the vast wave of post war, and highly diverse immigration has been somewhat concentrated in Melbourne, Sydney and their close neighbours has had some effect as well.

But more important here is that Kiwis speak funny.
I jist wuetched the Awl Blicks in the teist mietch on Tuy Vuy.

hehehe