Description

Examines the origins and development of New Zealand English on the basis of extensive audio-recordings. New Zealand English is one of the newest varieties of English, and is unique in that its history and development are documented in extensive audio-recordings. On the basis of these recordings, this book examines the linguistic changes New Zealand English has undergone since it was first spoken in the 1850s. New Zealand English is one of the newest varieties of English, and is unique in that its history and development are documented in extensive audio-recordings. On the basis of these recordings, this book examines the linguistic changes New Zealand English has undergone since it was first spoken in the 1850s. New Zealand English - at just 150 years old - is one of the newest varieties of English, and is unique in that its full history and development are documented in extensive audio-recordings. The rich corpus of spoken language provided by New Zealand's 'mobile disk unit' has provided insight into how the earliest New Zealand-born settlers spoke, and consequently, how this new variety of English developed. On the basis of these recordings, this book examines and analyses the extensive linguistic changes New Zealand English has undergone since it was first spoken in the 1850s. The authors, all experts in phonetics and sociolinguistics, use the data to test previous explanations for new dialect formation, and to challenge current claims about the nature of language change. The first ever corpus-based study of the evolution of New Zealand English, this book will be welcomed by all those interested in phonetics, sociolinguistics, historical linguistics and dialectology. 1. Introduction; 2. Overview and background; 3. The historical background; 4. Previous attempts to explain the origins of New Zealand English; 5. Methodology; 6. The variables of early New Zealand English; 7. The origins of New Zealand English: reflections from the ONZE data; 8. Implications for language change; Appendices. '... offers illuminating and well-organised conclusions for what can be said to be an excellently grounded theory on the origins of NZE.' Estudios de Sociolinguistica