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In New Zealand, we're so young and small that we only have one distinctive regional accent - the Southland accent, typified by a rolling R - as typified in some

In New Zealand, we're so young and small that we only have one distinctive regional accent - the Southland accent, typified by a rolling R - as typified in someone fresh in Christchurch telling you that they're from Gorrrre[1]. (As a South Islander, I can often, but not always, tell that a Pakeha (NZ European) person is from the North Island because they have more of a Polynesian influence in their pronunciation - South Island being notoriously white for the most part, the difference is slight but noticeable). The Gore escapees get lightly teased about it "Hey Sharon tell us how far you went to the bar in your car" etc., but otherwise treated the same as other Kiwis. "Accentism" as described seems to require a long history of a rural peasantry / working class and an urbanised middle - upper class - in other words, it's just a proxy for class based discrimination. I guess we're lucky that talking like a farmer isn't considered an impediment to being Prime Minister... so far, although I still put it down to not even being a 200 year old bicultural country. That said, in the past, speaking in the Received Pronunciation was mandatory for newsreaders etc., and people correctly pronouncing Maori names and place names etc. is still an ongoing slow improvement. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gore,_New_Zealand https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gore,_New_Zealand

ashtonkem 6y ago
I was going to ask if New Zealand was big enough to develop its own regional accents, but I just realized that it's significantly bigger and less densely populated that England. And since England managed to develop a lot of distinct regional accents, I assume that given a century or two there might be a lot of New Zealand accents.
- oh_sigh 6y ago
  Doubtful considering internet and television access.
  - EdwardDiego 6y ago
    Studies seem to indicate that the Southland accent is strengthening and spreading, which is interesting. Perhaps people cling to the local in the face of the global?
    - ithkuil 6y ago
      Or could it be there is another global rhotic variety of english that everybody consumes via media?
- dbspin 6y ago
  Ireland has literally hundreds of accents with a population of less than 7 million. And that's not an exaggeration. Many Irish people can identify the specific town another Irish person is from based on their accent. I went to school in the largest town that hasn't achieved city status, Drogheda, and I could identify individual estates.
  - arethuza 6y ago
    When I was growing up in Scotland I could easily tell if someone was from one of the coastal fishing villages or lived on a farm inland - the latter would have distinctly different accent even though though they might only be a couple of kilometres from where I grew up.
bedobi 6y ago
New Zealand might not have regional accents but it does have sociolects with accompanying stereotypes which in the context of this article amounts to the same thing.
- robocat 6y ago
  Exactly. Shazza the bogan has a completely different accent from bro Rangi, who sounds completely different to classy old Muriel; while farmer Jim has yet another clearly different accent. I think the differences between these accents are broadening over time i.e. I think social clique accents have got stronger. There are few regional differences (mostly city versus rural). https://www.degruyter.com/view/journals/lingvan/1/1/article-p235.xml https://www.degruyter.com/view/journals/lingvan/1/1/article-...
  - EdwardDiego 6y ago
    Hmm, yes I'd agree to that extent, I guess I can't comment on how widespread discrimination based on that stuff is. I mean, I went to a private school (for a year, and then they kicked me out) with people whose parents specially sent to them to a primary school that deliberately taught its own distinct accent[1], so I would imagine there's areas of Christchurch social life and/or commerce that are contingent on that. But then I know there's already discrimination based on which school old boy/girl tie you wear (if any) in those same circles, and there were plenty of "bro Rangi" and "farmer Jim" at that school with me who ended up with that tie, and likewise ended up doing well in their professional life in firms filled with people from that same school. So maybe the accent doesn't matter so much in those 'elite' circles so much as the money and the people you know. We don't really have an old money / new money divide in NZ, unless you take members of the First Four Ships Association seriously (pro-tip, only members of the FFSA take them seriously). [1]: https://www.medbury.school.nz https://www.medbury.school.nz
golemiprague 6y ago
Don't you have accents based on race? In Australia every group of people seems to have a different accent, aboriginals, islanders, Arabs, south Europeans, whites, Chinese etc. There are some variations among whites but it seems to be based more on social class than on location
alliao 6y ago
maybe it's my immigrant ears, but I distinctively remember that I could not understand anyone from Taranaki...
howlgarnish 6y ago
Most of the world can't tell Kiwi and Aussie accents apart. Australians can, though, and any spotted Kiwis overseas will be subjected to ribbing about fush and chups and teen dollars, some of it courtesy of taxpayer dollars: https://youtu.be/3cPs2SzShNc https://youtu.be/3cPs2SzShNc Also, I've heard that the Southland rolled R comes from Scottish, since there was a significant Scot presence there as exemplified by Dunedin (the Scottish name for Edinburgh).
- rjsw 6y ago
  As a Brit, I think I can distinguish Kiwi and Aussie accents. Kiwis having iggs for breakfast is another one to listen for. Can also spot some French regional accents, I think I have one when speaking French.
snori74 6y ago
You say this, and yet Simon Bridges was relentlessly hassled about his accent...
Asraelite 6y ago
I think calling it a "rolling R" is misleading, since it's actually an approximant, /ɹ/. The term "rolling" or "rolled" usually refers to trills, /r/ or /ʀ/, which no New Zealand dialect has as far as I can tell. Although feel free to correct me, this is just what I could gather from googling it.

ashtonkem 6y ago

I was going to ask if New Zealand was big enough to develop its own regional accents, but I just realized that it's significantly bigger and less densely populated that England. And since England managed to develop a lot of distinct regional accents, I assume that given a century or two there might be a lot of New Zealand accents.

oh_sigh 6y ago
Doubtful considering internet and television access.
- EdwardDiego 6y ago
  Studies seem to indicate that the Southland accent is strengthening and spreading, which is interesting. Perhaps people cling to the local in the face of the global?
  - ithkuil 6y ago
    Or could it be there is another global rhotic variety of english that everybody consumes via media?
dbspin 6y ago
Ireland has literally hundreds of accents with a population of less than 7 million. And that's not an exaggeration. Many Irish people can identify the specific town another Irish person is from based on their accent. I went to school in the largest town that hasn't achieved city status, Drogheda, and I could identify individual estates.
- arethuza 6y ago
  When I was growing up in Scotland I could easily tell if someone was from one of the coastal fishing villages or lived on a farm inland - the latter would have distinctly different accent even though though they might only be a couple of kilometres from where I grew up.

bedobi 6y ago

New Zealand might not have regional accents but it does have sociolects with accompanying stereotypes which in the context of this article amounts to the same thing.

robocat 6y ago
Exactly. Shazza the bogan has a completely different accent from bro Rangi, who sounds completely different to classy old Muriel; while farmer Jim has yet another clearly different accent. I think the differences between these accents are broadening over time i.e. I think social clique accents have got stronger. There are few regional differences (mostly city versus rural). https://www.degruyter.com/view/journals/lingvan/1/1/article-p235.xml https://www.degruyter.com/view/journals/lingvan/1/1/article-...
- EdwardDiego 6y ago
  Hmm, yes I'd agree to that extent, I guess I can't comment on how widespread discrimination based on that stuff is. I mean, I went to a private school (for a year, and then they kicked me out) with people whose parents specially sent to them to a primary school that deliberately taught its own distinct accent[1], so I would imagine there's areas of Christchurch social life and/or commerce that are contingent on that. But then I know there's already discrimination based on which school old boy/girl tie you wear (if any) in those same circles, and there were plenty of "bro Rangi" and "farmer Jim" at that school with me who ended up with that tie, and likewise ended up doing well in their professional life in firms filled with people from that same school. So maybe the accent doesn't matter so much in those 'elite' circles so much as the money and the people you know. We don't really have an old money / new money divide in NZ, unless you take members of the First Four Ships Association seriously (pro-tip, only members of the FFSA take them seriously). [1]: https://www.medbury.school.nz https://www.medbury.school.nz

golemiprague 6y ago

Don't you have accents based on race? In Australia every group of people seems to have a different accent, aboriginals, islanders, Arabs, south Europeans, whites, Chinese etc. There are some variations among whites but it seems to be based more on social class than on location

alliao 6y ago

maybe it's my immigrant ears, but I distinctively remember that I could not understand anyone from Taranaki...

howlgarnish 6y ago

Most of the world can't tell Kiwi and Aussie accents apart. Australians can, though, and any spotted Kiwis overseas will be subjected to ribbing about fush and chups and teen dollars, some of it courtesy of taxpayer dollars: https://youtu.be/3cPs2SzShNc https://youtu.be/3cPs2SzShNc Also, I've heard that the Southland rolled R comes from Scottish, since there was a significant Scot presence there as exemplified by Dunedin (the Scottish name for Edinburgh).

rjsw 6y ago
As a Brit, I think I can distinguish Kiwi and Aussie accents. Kiwis having iggs for breakfast is another one to listen for. Can also spot some French regional accents, I think I have one when speaking French.

snori74 6y ago

You say this, and yet Simon Bridges was relentlessly hassled about his accent...

Asraelite 6y ago

I think calling it a "rolling R" is misleading, since it's actually an approximant, /ɹ/. The term "rolling" or "rolled" usually refers to trills, /r/ or /ʀ/, which no New Zealand dialect has as far as I can tell. Although feel free to correct me, this is just what I could gather from googling it.