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. 

English as a First (and Second) Language

When I first started dating Josh, I noticed, little by little, that what I was saying didn't always mean the same thing to him - and vice versa.

First up: y'all.

Anybody who has been to the southern part of the US or even has met a southern person (not unlike myself), you know that "y'all" is a staple.

Meaning "you all," y'all can be heard in almost every conversation.

However, it just sounds wrong coming from a kiwi. Or a Brit. Or really anyone who doesn't have a southern accent. And when I say it here in New Zealand, I can sometimes sense the confusion... What's that saying: you can take the girl out of the south, but you can't take the south out of the girl? Something like that...

But y'all is not the only difference between the two languages. And yes, we both speak English, but it is just not the same English. 


Before we get into the translating, I have to admit, I thought that all accents
from the Commonwealth (places colonized by the United Kingdom that stayed
on good terms with the monarchy, including but not limited to Scotland, Ireland,
South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand) sounded the same. Boy, was I wrong.
(Since dating Josh, I've learned how to identify them pretty well.) 

One of the most confusing ones for me: shout.

Yes, that shout. As in, "You know you make me wanna..." or "Twist and..." In America, it's really just yelling, either in anger or excitement. But in New Zealand, it also has another meaning: buy. Someone might say, "I'll shout you," and they won't be screaming. They might be buying the next round of drinks or paying for lunch. I still have trouble with it when I hear it in conversation and I definitely haven't tried to use it when I'm speaking.

Next up, the other difficult one: period.

In America, when you say period, it can have a few different meanings. But I use it in normal conversation to emphasize a point, like "That's all there is to it. Period. End." However, the punctuation that Americans call a period, kiwis call a fullstop. So when I say "period" here, people look at me funny. This one causes me to trip up in conversation, so I still struggle, but I'm getting better about it.

One that has more than one meaning here is "pissed."

It can mean angry or aggravated here, but it can also mean drunk. So if someone yells out, "I'm so pissed!" don't be alarmed, or at least not until you've deciphered what kind of pissed you're dealing with.

Below are some other words that Americans use that New Zealanders (Kiwis) have different words (or meanings) for:

American English vs. Kiwi English

Cookies - Biscuits

Flip flops -  Jandals

      Trash - Rubbish

                            Fries - Chips (but chips can also be chips)

Bandaid - Plaster

                                       Cooler - Chilly Bin (this makes so much sense, right??)

 Vacation - Holiday

Truck - Ute
Afternoon - Arvo    
Tank top - Singlet
Beach house - Batch/Crib
Stroller - Pram
    All good - Sweet as
Electrician - Sparky  

I will update this list as I become aware of more differences in the language.