Accents Confuse as Often as They Impress

Besides phrases being different or having different words that mean the same thing, kiwis also pronounce things pretty different.

I'll be honest, I love Josh's accent. It may or may not be one of my favorite things about him. But that doesn't mean I don't get confused when he speaks. I do. And when a foggy look passes over my face, he realized I'm lost and backtracks... another thing I love about him.

Understanding English with a kiwi accent can be hard. Having to decipher common American words/phrases in an accent as they speak at a normal speed or faster is a struggle. But then add in the fact that kiwis put the emphasis on different syllables and I have to admit: sometimes I get lost in conversations.

Luckily, as I make these lists, I'm finding it easier to keep up in conversations and even add to them occasionally.

The other day, I asked Josh to clarify something for me. I asked him if he meant "yarn" or "yawn." When he said each one, I swear it sounded the exact same. This is something that only adds to my confusion.

The good news is that it isn't just me getting confused. One of the grocery chains here has a commercial out now that pokes fun at the fact that when kiwis say beers and bears, it sounds the same, as it does when they say cheers or chairs.

It's funny because back in America, Josh and I went out with some friends, mostly international, and we went around the table and all said the word, "water." They were poking fun at the way Americans say it (which, I told them, is not fair because there are so many American accents and we all say it different from one another). But just around the table, the difference was crazy. There was Irish, Mexican, British, Kiwi, Moroccan and American and we all said that one word different. That just emphasizes how different our accents are and how one word can change so much.

And while watching a Netflix special of Trevor Noah, I realized he points this "water" pronunciation out, too.

Also, apparently in New Zealand, Erin and Aaron sound very different. There is almost always a very distinctive "E" put at the beginning of my name when spoken. I've always thought of my name as "Air-in," but here, it's "Ear-in." It definitely takes some getting used to.

Here are some other things Kiwis pronounce differently from Americans (written out phonetically for your convenience):

• Adidas - Add-ee-dass
• Hyundai - I can't even spell this out phonetically...
• Nissan - Niss-in
• Cemetary - Symmetry
• Garage - Gair-uj
• Scone - Scunn
• Tomato - Toe-mah-toe
• Sauce pan - (all one word) Saucepin

And I'm certain that there are more. 

It's fun to listen to a new and different accent, but be prepared to decipher it if you're trying to comprehend everything.