Mack wrote: > I can't tell the difference between Australian and New Zealand accents > either. Is there a difference? Hell? Then again, sometimes when watching > a flick I will find myself wondering if the accent is British or Australian > and often guess. More times than not, I am wrong. I love the way some > Brits drop their H's. Have watched some flicks with Brits or Scots, and > admit very ignorant on the subject, I flat out cannot understand what they > are saying other than a few words here and there.
There is a difference between Australian and New Zealand accents, but it's not that noticeable - a bit like comparing the US and Canadian accents. Those "in the know" can pick it, but to others, they sound the same. And I can hear all the Canadians saying "Oh, how horrible, our accent is completely different to that crass American one!" Which is how I feel, when compared to an Australian! (Kidding - it's not that bad). The main difference is in vowel sounds, as Colin pointed out. This is grossly exaggerated, but when talking about fish and chips, an Australian will say "feesh and cheeps" whereas a New Zealander will sound more like "fush and chups". Australians always think it's funny to make NZers say the number 6, because we sound like we're saying "sux". But they sound like they're talking about carnal knowledge, so the joke is on them. For the record, I thought Meryl Streep's attempt at an Australian accent was grossly exaggerated. Both the Australian and NZ accents are hard to do, and I think the film-makers would have been better served using a local Australian actress - of which there are many - very talented ones! The "big names" didn't work in this instance! Hell - a New Zealander with a strong Kiwi accent, and damn proud of it! ____________________________ "To have great poets, there must be great audiences too." - Walt Whitman [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hell's Personal Photo Page: http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~hell/main/personal.htm Visit the NBLs (Natural Born Losers) at: http://www.nbls.co.nz
