What was that again?

When I spoke with my family the other day, one of the first things my brother Matt asked was, "Do the people there sound like the gecko off of the Geico commercials?" For simplicity, my answer was "yes" but in reality the gecko is MUCH easier to understand than the Kiwi's here. This thought inspired me to make an entry about the Kiwi language.

It is true that Kiwis speak English, but it is not true that they are always easy to understand. A New Zealand accent sounds much like a Australian accent to those that have not heard both at the same time (I am still inclined to think they sound similiar but have been told by many Kiwis they DO NOT). They don't pronounce their 'r's, cut words off, switch there 'i's with 'u's, and then mumble them all together. The key for speaking like a Kiwi is to say 5 words in about the time we might say 2.

They also are very good at cutting off half of the word and adding 'ie' or 'y' to the end. Words like breakfast, cardigan, and sunglasses will be said as brekkie, cardy, and sunnies. Sometimes I catch myself thinking it's a game to make everything they say sound cutesy, but as soon as I hear a grown man say it I am thrown off. It's not cutesy for them, it is really what they call it.

In addition to these differences, they also have a different vocabulary. Here are some that I have picked up on so far:

(States- New Zealand)
field- paddock
trash- rubbish
swimsuit-togs (this one REALLY confused me when someone said to bring our togs)
rain boots- gummies
cookie- biscuit (this always makes me think of dog biscuits...)
car trunk- boot
french fries- chips
carbonation- fizzy
apartment- flat
hiking- tramping
flip flop- jandal
push-up- press-up
gravel- shingles
middle of nowhere- wop wops
dinner- tea
night snacks- supper
snack between morning and lunch- morning tea
snack between lunch and dinner- afternoon tea
(In summary of these last few: morning tea and afternoon tea are snacks, whereas tea is dinner and supper is a night snack... this confused me for quite some time)

In order to sound like a Kiwi, here are some other tips:
When saying yes in response say "ya" preferably 4 or 5 times.
Use "heaps" and "wee bit" to replace "a lot" or "a little."
Call everyone bro or mate. Also, end most sentences with bro.
End all other sentences with "eh."
Refer to girls as "sheilas."
When you are excited or think something is cool say "far out."
End sentences with a question mark?
To say goodbye use "cheers."

Finally, the last bit of differences in the Kiwi language cannot be heard but is noticed when reading newspapers or magazines (I naturally notice these because I like checking for spelling errors and grammatical errors when I am reading things). Sometimes you know the word is immediately different (like tyre for tire) while others can make you question if that is not how we spell it in the States. Here are some general Kiwi spelling rules:

Most things that end with -er are changed to -re like: metre and centre
Replace 'z's in the middle of words with an 's' like: realisation and organise
Randomly add 'u's to words like: colour and flavour
Another less consistent rule is to remove double consonants. This would be like the word enrolment.

The last wee bit of info for today is that "kiwi" refers to 3 things:
1. New Zealand people
2. The bird
3. The fruit

Cheers!

(To hear some of these for yourself click here)