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3 theories of NZE
Theories on the origins
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| New Zealand as Independent (Theory 1) | "Mixing bowl" effect, "founder effect" states early settlers had the fundamentals of the accent that were set in the 1980's. It was also unlikely that Northern visitors from England in the 1950s had any effect. |
| New Zealand as Australian (Theory 2) | A large quantity of the population initially struggle telling the difference between Australian and NZ. There are a number of words quite inclusive to them both, e.g. 'bludger' which means somebody who lives off others. |
| New Zealand as Cockney (Theory 3) | The idea comes from British perception. Some pronunciations sound similar e.g. "put" sounds like "pet" to other English people. However, many lower-class Londoners recently pronounced 'off' to rhyme with words such as 'divided' and 'forth'. |