karron

you really cant understand that ?

RobClubley

I haven't changed my accent - but I speak the Queen's English (West Yorkshire)

I do find myself using kiwi words though like sweet, thanks instead of please, it cost xxx bucks (which sounded so weird when we landed) and others.

My daughter who's nearly two has a mixed accent - she pronounces chair and bear to rhyme with cheer and beer.

But says things like mum and stuck in proper Yorkshire

Miss Nic

My accent hasn't changed and I must admit that my English friends who have been here 10 + years still sound like they've just landed!
Saying that, I did meet one guy who I assumed was a Kiwi. Turned out he was a brit and has been here all of five minutes but completely overhauled his accent. Some people are just like that I guess.

The OH does say things like 'sweet' and has started going up at the end of every sentence.....annoying

hazeandsteve

Check out the trademe motors section.
You regularly see "spear wheel" offered.

lardyl

on a SooBarOO no doubt - there's even a Subaru sales/service place in Manukau that's called "Soobaroo Sales" or summat like.

Bo-Jangles

It's a slippery slope from Middle England to Middle Earth once you've been inficted by that first 'Yis bro, I'll greb some of thet budder for my brid.'

You must protict yourself and you must resust or before yer know ut, you wull be driving down the modaways of Nu Zulland in yer Toyoda, with a beg of sammies looking for a paddock for your next pucknuck.

Ask yourself this, do you really want to end up sounding like Helun Clarke or John Key?

I am heartened by all the old folks I talk to who have been here for thirty, forty or fifty years and remained immune to the evils of those Kiwi vowels.

Caz8NZ

Noooooooooooo! I did try to remember to pronounce it the Kiwi way but i've given up now - they know what i'm talking about :-)

Hopefully i will never end up sounding totally kiwi - its not so bad picking up the odd things here or there but I quite like my traditional british accent!

love30stm

i wont pick up any kiwi thanks probably as most of my friends are english irish and welsh.

but i do tend to say sucks, movies,gross and awesome for some reason maybe im in the wrong country

RobClubley

I really don't like the kiwi accent. It's even worse when TV and radio voiceover people really over-pronounce the mangled vowels as if trying to speak kiwi correctly or something.

On the subject of Subaru - Japanese vowel sounds are the same as Maori apparently and all should be given the same length with no emphasis on any one.

So su-ba-ru is correct, soo-BAA-roo (kiwi style) or SOO-ba-roo (UK style) are both incorrect

stephen60

I've always known them as Scooby's, that's what the Prodrive guys called them. Clears up pronunciation issues. just like, if you're buying one, it's a Royce. If you're not, it's a Roller.

scrubbedexpat094

Though Toyoda is the name of the guy who started Toyota . Just a bit of useless info for you there.

I say "Yis" when I'm taking the piss, usually just with close friends. I hate the use of "woman" for "women" & get fed up when that Glad woman keeps wishing me "Bitter Living".

OH has done the up at the end thing ever since he started working at Toyota, Derbys back in 1992. It was his way of checking that the Japanese understood what he was saying. I had to remind him that I was born & bred in England.

My accent seems to have got stronger since I have been here. I sound quite broad Lanky now & the Kiwis take the p*ss out of my dialect.

What has got to me & OH is the Kiwis trying to pronounce French. It's sooo painful. Richard Till & his Bane Marie instead of Bain Marie. I'm not even sure how they manage to mangle croissants. Of course one should never ask for Pain au Chocolat, they are chocolate danish! We had a fantastic one on an Air NZ flight from Rarotonga on Friday. For dinner, the first choice was Chicken, Coke o-von. Yes, you guessed it Coq au vin

Persephone

My accent changes depending on who I'm talking to. It tends to get stronger if I'm with English people but tone it down for the kiwis. Having said that I had to tone it down or risk not being understood [or getting the piss ripped out of me] when I moved from the North East to Bristol for university. My accent isn't even that strong

Certain words cause problems I find, a big one is weighed or weight. When I ask 'Have you weighed him today?' I get blank looks about 75% of the time. I asked Mr S [who is a NZer] about it and he says it's the 'way I say my vowels...'. Pots and kettles come to mind
Always used to throw me when I'd ask him how many of something he wanted and the reply came back 'I'll have 'six' please'

I do feel that my accent becomes more kiwi at times though usually not when I speak to Mr S. It's generally at work and is probably due to a need to be understood Try as hard as I can and I still can't get weight right though...

Persephone

You just couldn't resist mentioning your holiday again could you

French is bad- what about 'coupe'!! Please try and make an effort, it's not somewhere to keep chickens

Here in Chch we have Antigua St which is pronounced Ant-ig-u-a rather than Anteega and Berwick St which they pronounce Ber-wick. I just can't do it

barnsleymat

Are they taught this at school?

lardyl

at least "Hoyk" is not "Chowick" down there