Since Andy and I are spending most
of our time now at camp working and not as much time
exploring, we thought this would be a good opportunity to
reflect on our time here in New Zealand so far. A couple of months
ago, Andy posted about his thoughts on the food, which you can find
here: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. This time, I'm going to discuss
the language. Enjoy!
When Andy and I were first planning our
trip out to New Zealand, we took comfort in the fact that our country
of choice had English as its official language. With
navigating around
in unknown territories,
looking for work, and
finding a place to live, the
last thing we needed
was to
worry about
getting lost in
translation. However, upon arrival in this amazing country, I
learned quickly that speaking the same language doesn't necessarily
translate to easy or instant communication. I loved the accent
immediately, but it took my brain awhile to adjust to it and even
longer to process what was being said.
Accent aside, words themselves were
used differently. The first (and probably most important) thing we
had to learn was that a bathroom or a restroom was called a “toilet.”
This makes sense if you think about it. Do you ever ask where the
bathroom/restroom is with the purpose of taking a bath or getting
some rest? If you do use these terms with a local, you will most
likely be met with a confused look until you clarify it's a “toilet”
you're looking for. During our time here, we picked up quite a few
differences in our vocabularies. Just off the top of my head:
US → NZ
hiking = tramping
fries = chips (or “hot chips”)
downtown = city center
cooler = chilly bin
friend = mate
vacation = holiday
takeout = takeaway
sandals = jandals
peppers = capsicums
trash can = rubbish bin
wrench = spanners
shopping cart = trolley
clothes pins = clothes pegs
umbrella = brolly
tacks = drawing pins
license plate number = car registration (or car rego)
band-aids = plasters
Also, “pissed” doesn't mean
“angry,” like it does in the U.S. ('pissed off' still does).
Here, it means “drunk.” We learned this, along with the last three on the list, while working at the
New Years Eve Camp...
Not only are words used differently, but some letters are pronounced differently. Like "zed" instead of "z."
Additionally, the slang here is very
interesting. I'm sure you're all aware of the famous “sweet as.” For those who don't know, “That's
sweet as!” translates to the American “That's cool!” However,
I've also heard “great as”, “good as”, and “awesome as.”
In fact, I'm pretty sure you can put “as” after any adjective and
it would be perfectly acceptable here.
These are just a few observations from
our time spent in New Zealand so far. We are still picking up bits
and pieces here and there and are constantly adding to the list
above. I have to say that
since we arrived in New Zealand five months ago, my ability to
understand
and communicate here has greatly
improved.
Andy however picked
it up pretty quickly and has
even started
to talk like a kiwi at times. Who
knows, by the time we get
home, maybe I
will too ;-)
Cheers!
<--- (as the kiwis say!)
