Origins and development of New Zealand English

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Published: Jan 1, 2012
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/ijltic.12
Paul Warren
Victoria University of Wellington
Abstract

This paper provides an overview of the chief characteristics of a relatively new variety of English, New Zealand English. After a brief historical sketch of the development of English in New Zealand, the paper highlights some of the grammatical patterns of the variety, before looking in more detail at the lexical features and characteristic pronunciations that make it a distinct variety. One of the significant infl uences on the development of New Zealand English has been contact with the Maori language and with Maori cultural traditions. This is refl ected in the presence of a large number of Maori words in common use in New Zealand English, as well as in the development of Maori English as an ethnic variety in New Zealand. Finally, the paper considers other sources of variation within New Zealand English, including early signs of regional diff erentiation as well as age- and gender-linked variation that have emerged in the patterns of change in progress that typify this new variety.

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Author Biography
Paul Warren, Victoria University of Wellington

Paul Warren is Associate Professor in the School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Paul’s primary research interests are in psycholinguistics, in particular spoken word recognition and the use of intonation in sentence processing. Since moving to New Zealand he has combined these interests with a growing fascination in the development of New Zealand English, which has led to publications such as the chapters New Zealand English Phonology and Maori English Phonology, both co-authored with Laurie Bauer for the Mouton Varieties of English volumes (2008). His book publications include the co-authored books Language Matters (Palgrave, 2006), and Q and Eh Questions and Answers on Language with a Kiwi Twist (Random House, 2011), as well as his forthcoming textbook Introducing Psycholinguistics (Cambridge University Press, 2013).