Conclusions
Historical Influences
It is clear that New Zealand English is heavily influenced by British English. This is made evident not only in the historical colonization of the islands by the British, but in the phonological speech patterns of New Zealanders being primarily non-rhotic and, more recently, seeing an increase in the use of word-final glottal stops. Since both New Zealand and Australia were colonized by the British, it's understandable why their dialects would sound so similar.
Although there is some dispute over how much on an influence Scottish immigrants had on the New Zealand dialect, we know that that the South Island communities who speak with a Southland burr got their semi-rhotic tendencies from Scottish English (New Zealand English, wikipedia.org). Scottish immigrants redefined their identity in New Zealand, lending their "place names, architecture, self-help, sporting and literary societies, along with their knitting patterns and culinary practices" (Harper). However, the Scots did not involve themselves in the politics of New Zealand. This is most likely why their dialect did not have as large of an influence on New Zealand English, for it was not seen as the language of power. A similar occurrence happend with the language of the Māori, where their main influence on New Zealand English is lexical, not phonological. So, although the majority of New Zealand English speakers don't exhibit obvious Scottish phonological patterns in their speech, a subset of New Zealanders do, and so a history of Scottish immigration cannot be overlooked.
Although there is some dispute over how much on an influence Scottish immigrants had on the New Zealand dialect, we know that that the South Island communities who speak with a Southland burr got their semi-rhotic tendencies from Scottish English (New Zealand English, wikipedia.org). Scottish immigrants redefined their identity in New Zealand, lending their "place names, architecture, self-help, sporting and literary societies, along with their knitting patterns and culinary practices" (Harper). However, the Scots did not involve themselves in the politics of New Zealand. This is most likely why their dialect did not have as large of an influence on New Zealand English, for it was not seen as the language of power. A similar occurrence happend with the language of the Māori, where their main influence on New Zealand English is lexical, not phonological. So, although the majority of New Zealand English speakers don't exhibit obvious Scottish phonological patterns in their speech, a subset of New Zealanders do, and so a history of Scottish immigration cannot be overlooked.
Kiwi Identity
Because of the similiar linguistic and cultural history of Australia and New Zealand, and the minimal influence that Scottish English had on New Zealand English, it would seem as though the two dialects should be even more similar than they already are. However, the vowel shift seen in New Zealand English seems to be "a drive towards the establishment of a specifically New Zealand identity" (Trudgill, Gordon, and Lewis). Australians can tell New Zealanders apart from themselves because of their distinctly different vowel shifts, and vice versa. New Zealanders might be accentuating this vowel shift even more so, as time goes on, in order to reinforce the differences between themselves and their Australian counterparts. Language is so tightly tied to identity that it isn't hard to see why New Zealanders would accentuate their speech to help create and establish what it means to be one of them. After all, the British-influenced New Zealand as we know it today is very young in comparison to other countries, so in some ways, they're like a teenager or a young adult; just starting to figure themselves out.
It's inevitable that New Zealand English will change throughout generations. All languages undergo change. Based on what I've learned about New Zealand's desire to establish a unique identity, I predict that they will continue accentuating the vowel shift until more monophthongs are so encroached upon that they shift into diphthongs. This is already happening with the vowel in fleece, as the vowel in dress intrudes on it's height (New Zealand English, wikipedia.org). Perhaps, as their identity and dialect continue to evolve, it will be easier for the common person to distinguish a Kiwi from an Aussie.
It's inevitable that New Zealand English will change throughout generations. All languages undergo change. Based on what I've learned about New Zealand's desire to establish a unique identity, I predict that they will continue accentuating the vowel shift until more monophthongs are so encroached upon that they shift into diphthongs. This is already happening with the vowel in fleece, as the vowel in dress intrudes on it's height (New Zealand English, wikipedia.org). Perhaps, as their identity and dialect continue to evolve, it will be easier for the common person to distinguish a Kiwi from an Aussie.
Last words
In doing this project, one of my main goals was to bring light to a nation that is often overshadowed and lumped into another nation and culture that it doesn’t identify with. The lack of knowledge of New Zealand people, dialect, and culture (in America, at least) is astounding. Of course, its status as a young, small nation plays a part in this, but is no excuse for a continual ignorance towards recognizing New Zealand as its own unique state. As the years pass, New Zealand contributes more and more to the world’s pop culture; from musical artists like Lorde and Kimbra to, of course, Flight of the Conchords. New Zealand is young and growing fast, much like America was not too long ago (and still is). It’s time we see New Zealand for what it is, and the first step to this is acknowledging their separate identity through language.