I think Anthony Hopkins accent works a little because Burt was born in 1899 and grew up in the early 1900s when White New Zealanders still tries to speak the queens English. A lot of his generation kind of sounded like that.
My friend says the kiwi accents is like a wannabe snob type getting punched in the face.. while In shock they talk back like they're petrified just like the Kiwi accent spoken today ..
My friend says the kiwi accents is like a wannabe snob type getting punched in the face.. while In shock they talk back like they're petrified just like the Kiwi accent spoken today ..
I was in a cafe flicking through a magazine and it had a photo of Temuera Morrison. I glanced up randomly and he was sitting outside. Went over and showed him. Talked about 'Aquaman'. He said "Thought I was getting the lead eh, but they gave it to that handsome fulla". Was going to tell him he wasn't in Guatemala anymore but I chickened out lol
" Don't tell her, it's me" they kept playing an Australian aboriginal didgeridoo while he is explaining Māori customs. Um... completely different cultures from completely different countries.
In order to do a New Zealand accent, you need to understand our mindset, which can be defined as "She'll be right" when things are good, and "Go Hard" when things are bad. The laid back attitude and the transition to intensity manifests itself within the accent. We speak in a laid back manner, as a result our vowels shift to where they require less physical effort to actually enunciate them, there is less emphasis on pronunciation and more emphasis of efficient communication. This can also be seen is the somewhat low-key hoarse manner of speaker, which is actually more noticeable in women, because most female English speakers outside NZ do not speak in this manner. But, when a speaker wishes to indicate importance, the speed of their speech increases and tonality is emphasized. I heard you do this between 10:57 to 11:09 - both the emphasis on speed, and mid-sentence tonal inflection, is done to indicate importance to the listener. Once this is understood, emulating a general Kiwi accent would become a lot easier, it is an "easy does it" way of behaving, and this is reflected in our speech.
Top notch. I've often thought we have an almost lazy way of speaking compared to other English speakers, but your description better encapsulates the manner. It's about efficiency. Waste of microseconds enunciating every word if you dun'aff'ta. I have to say though, after coming home from 3 months in Europe, the vowel sounds were jarring. I actually cringed a bit.
It's simple. My friend says the kiwi accents is like a wannabe snob type getting punched in the face.. while In shock they talk back like they're petrified just like the Kiwi accent spoken today ..
@@newzealandstories5621 Yep, but he was born in 1899 in NZ, so It's quite representative. Sir A.Hopkins studied old NZ accents from the early 20th century to try and replicate the sound. White New Zealanders in the early 20th century possessed accents that were closer to British English (the largest proportion of colonials were from the SW country in England, which is the sound you are picking up) with a sprinkle of RP, which became more prominent with an individuals social class. Many have had similar false perceptions regarding Major Barton in the film Gallipoli, thinking him to be a British officer, which consequently lead audiences feel derision towards the British regarding the waste of life of ANZAC troops portayed in the film, even though Major Barton was supposed to represent an Australian Officer, and the actor Bill Hunter captured the upper class Australian accent of the time very well.
my Asian friend who speaks Mandarin but was born here in NZ said his cousins have trouble understanding some of his words when speaking the language they can hear the kiwi influence in his voice, that cracked me up heaps.
My friend says the kiwi accents is like a wannabe snob type getting punched in the face.. while In shock they talk back like they're petrified just like the Kiwi accent spoken today ..
I lived in Germany for a few years in my late teens and when I returned to NZ I had lost my accent so much that new people I met used to ask me where I was from.
Same here. My accent had changed, and I spoke with the German monotone and the slower speed of German English. Then after being back in New Zealand for a while I found it hard to move my mouth and tongue to properly articulate in German. Particularly as I had been in the far north of Germany where clear, textbook pronunciation was the norm in High German.
My friend says the kiwi accents is like a wannabe snob type getting punched in the face.. while In shock they talk back like they're petrified just like the Kiwi accent spoken today ..
As a New Zealander who's never left the country, I can agree that these accents are horrendous and don't reflect our accent at all. I'll give these actors credit, though, a Kiwi accent is really hard unless you are a native New Zealander.
Its really interesting. Sir Anthony Hopkin's accent was so obviously someone who was not Kiwi trying to do a kiwi accent. I think I would have got that even out of context. I had no idea I could spot such a thing. On the other hand, Stephen Colbert's kiwi accent just sounded sort of South African to me.. probably not to someone from South Africa though.
My last UK ancestor entered NZ over 100 years ago, and I was raised on guys like Phillip Sherry and Dougal Stevenson - all my life I have had even other kiwis ask if I am English 😂
My friend says the kiwi accents is like a wannabe snob type getting punched in the face.. while In shock they talk back like they're petrified just like the Kiwi accent spoken today ..
americans basically have no exposure to the NZ and very little to the australian accent so that is most likely why they have such a hard time imitating it. people in OZ and NZ have tons of exposure to different american accents so it's alot easier.
@@Isdale 'Did my link show up?" nope. Interesting if you can, but it doesn't matter, It's the NZ accent that we're discussing, not expertise in imitating an individual.
no ,no way near it ,to hear him talk was like a bit of a mix between American twang and British ,i am a Southlander ,when you hear the boy speak then you hear how we talk
Yeah, I was disappointed by Sir Anthony's attempt at a Southland accent. But I was born in Invercargill, but can't do a decent Southland accent on account of not living there for so many years, so I know how hard it can be. But there was an uncanny valley in his accent. It just didn't work. I would suggest that any actors wanting to try the Kiwi accent, watch Flight of the Conchords for 24 hours straight.
Someone brang up in the comments that I think is very important. Anthony was born in 1899. Growing up back then alot of people would of spoken the queens English. My grandma would and we aren't posh.
@@RolfHarrison Oh yeah, nah. It's more akin to the Lowland Scots "r", which was the major influence on the Otago and Southland accent and grammar. [The wee car needs fixed.] Can be tricky to differentiate Irish and Scots accents sometimes though due to the similarities arising from the same Middle Irish origin.
My father from Dunedin said fast and dance in the way the USA died and he sounded quite like my father’s generation who was born in 1904. I think if you listened to recordings of men born the late 1800s and early 1900s you would find more similarities in Hopkins take on the accent.
Love the video and your channel bro. What about Keria Knightley in Everest? Wasn't perfect but I think she got pretty damn close. Gotta respect any actor who gives it a go.
I'm an American who has lived in New Zealand for 38 years and I STILL can't do a Kiwi accent! Yet, when I go back to California, people ask me where I'm from.
Anthony Hopkins is copying a Southland accent from last century. It’s spot on bro (I I’m from there so I know they sound completely different than the rest of NZ, especially last century when there was more of an Old English influence).
The New Zealand accent, or New Zealand English (NZE), is distinct due to several unique features. It includes significant vowel shifts, such as the short "i" in "fish" sounding like "fush," and the "e" in "bed" sounding like "bid." NZE also merges vowel sounds, making "beer" and "bear" sound similar. As a non-rhotic accent, the "r" at the end of words is often not pronounced unless followed by a vowel. The vocabulary of NZE incorporates many Māori words, reflecting the country’s indigenous heritage. Regional variations add further uniqueness to NZE. In the North Island, Aucklanders might have a more pronounced diphthong, while the South Island’s Otago and Southland regions exhibit a "Southland burr" due to Scottish influence. Wellington's accent is more neutral, influenced by its diverse population and bureaucratic culture. Additionally, NZE has been influenced by accents from other English-speaking countries, particularly Australia and the UK, contributing to its distinct sound within the English language.
My friend says the kiwi accents is like a wannabe snob type getting punched in the face.. while In shock they talk back like they're petrified just like the Kiwi accent spoken today ..
Awesome video to stumble across, love the kiwi accent. Lived in oz for 9 years , always sounded like a kiwi over there got back home and found out I had an Aussie accent 😵💫
I’m a kiwi. Mr Hopkins accent heavily reminded me of my grandfather who grew up in Southland. Born 1911. It’s definitely not a classic kiwi sounding accent. I thought AH nailed 1940s Southland.
That is quite possibly the stupidist statement on RU-vid a place that is full of stupid statements. Please tell me your not a Kiwi and if you are please move.
Im not so offended by Anthony Hopkins attempt; since Munro was from the time when there was still a strong prevelance of the transatlantic accent and influence of the British in the way we speak. If you listen to him on his doco 'Offerings to the God of Speed'; Munro didnt have a strict "Kiwi" accent but a little muddled. Hopkins while messing up a bit of it; does actually capture some of his more British pronounciation. The rest though sound closer to Aussies than kiwis; with their hard A's and their emphasis on some of the sounds. imo one of the best in the business for doing a kiwi accents, and accents in general is Saoirse Ronan. Scottish, American, Swedish, Australian, Kiwi. She is incredible.
I always pick up my ears when I hear a genuine Kiwi accent (beforehand I didnt know who was starring as Korg, but from that first line in the cinema I was obviously a kiwi). One important thing many non Kiwis miss is the regional variation between, say, Auckland and Dunedin. We notice.
If you've ever heard recordings of the real Bert you'd know that Hopkins got his accent pretty perfect. It's Bert's accent, not your average Kiwi accent. Possibly not even the typical Southland accent. My wife's dad was from Invercargill, and she reckons it's pretty close to his accent.
I've heard recordings of Burt and while there are some quirks to his speech, it's still an undeniably kiwi accent that he had that Anthony Hopkins doesn't get close to imo.
I don't think Dee Bradley Baker was really going for a new Zealand accent. I think he was doing a loose interpretation of temeura Morrison and he varies it between the clones to create some individuality to make certain characters more distinct than just slight differences in appearance In fact, I swear I remember some of the clones kinda having completely different accents altogether. So I don't think nailing a certain accent was the focus but more of getting a certain sound if that makes sense. Besides it's not like these are characters actually from new Zealand since new Zealand doesn't exist in star wars(at least to my knowledge)
Whenever my US friends start talking about Kiwi accents I show them that one ghost chips drink driving video. Then I have to explain that yes, we call it "drink driving". it's always a good time
I saw some shorts from the main actor of a handmaid's tale in a crime drama where she played a new zilder... It was respectably good from what I remember.
To be fair, Anthonys performance, it's very close to sounding like how Burt Munroe spoke. He didn't say fast right. But his west country vibes were spot on to how the guy actually spoke.
I watched an interview with Burt Munro and while his accent has one or two definite Southland characteristics, to me it's still a very "kiwi" accent that Anthony Hopkins doesn't get close to. But that's just me though.
@@newzealandstories5621 I'm definitely with you he gets the UK sounds kinda right, but the new Zealand vowels he struggles with. Just thought it was worth mentioning he did pretty well with a really hard accent to do. Like the regional UK accent was more faithful to the performance than expected. Not a traditional kiwi accent. The other kiwi accents in this video .. my god lol. Atrocious. And what's with enders game! Maximum moko energy be cringe.
11:17 Peter Archer was an Australian martial artist. He had a black belt in both Goju-ryu and Shotokan karate. He was a successful fighter in Japan where Bruce Lee was present at one of his matches during a martial arts tournament, Lee asked him after his fight if he wanted a small part in his movie "Enter the Dragon", Archer said yes. Archers voice was over dubbed by another actor as the Director didn't think his Australian accent was "New Zealand" enough. Peter Archer died of cancer in April 2000.
I think it was pretty close for that generation.. Kiwi English has evolved over the years. I recall older family who are no longer living speaking "funny" as a kid and it was merely queen's english. I'm 50 btw.
From a "pom" in NZ 30+ years. To those around me here I still sound like a pom (or someone once said a kiwi who had been to a "posh school"). When I go back to the old country I am told I sound like a bit like an Antipodean. So, a bit of "kiwi" might have rubbed off on me; might helf that my natural "accent" is kind of South East London (NOT cockney - very different, and my accent has been modified by a number of years in Yorkshire) which some say is the closest English accent to Australian. From observation of New Zealanders (and even more so Aussies) they tend not to open their mouths much when speaking. So, to sound Kiwi, maybe imitate a SE London accent and don't open your mouth much - which kind of contradicts what they teach in drama classes to open your mouth to speak clearly. Any thoughts on that? And don't get me started on Yanks trying to sound English - (polite) words fail me!!
I've lived in NZ for over 16 years and I couldn't do the standard NZ accent if my life literally depended on it. I can kinda mimic my wife and her family sort of, but only if I repeat their exact words. I can't just speak my own words in their accent, it always turns into Australian or British. I find the Maori NZ accent to be much easier, but even that is very difficult. I use to think it was a lack of exposure. I grew up in California and NZ accents are very rarely heard while Aus/British accents are very commonly heard. After living here so long I don't think it much to do with exposure. I suspect it is partly due to the fact that the NZ accent is very mild. It doesn't have a lot of harsh exaggerated or sharp markers. I think it's easier to a thick accent than it is to do a vague one, even if it isn't perfectly accurate. The NZ standard shares so many sounds with Aus/Brit accents I still find it sometimes hard to seperate them without hearing certain words.
For me it will always be LMAO as a Kiwi watching Tem as the base clone all standing in a room potentially intoning his classic Once for Warrior's line of "Cook the man some f&ckin eggs"... to which the whisper goes around the clones: "Eggs, eggs,eggs..." I could never take Star Wars seriously from that point forwards (and saved myself a lot of money and grief).
Tony Hopkins was given a double whammy. Not only a New Zealand accent but a *Southland* accent. When I was in the UK, I hammed up the Southland accent and my boss said that it sounded a bit like a "West Country accent with an Antipodean twang" - which is pretty good. I mean, for all the NZ actors who are supposed to be Inverrrrcarrrgil residents, borrrrn and bred, *none* of them even attempted a Southland accent! Now none of them had *any* excuse! Tim Shadbolt? Really?!!
Hopkins wasn’t too bad. My Grandads who were his generation had a little of that sound to their voice, which still had a little of that received English thing going on. As a Welshman he was probably smart to lean more into that. He had enough of an R roll going on to get the Southland accent across too. Overall I thought it worked pretty well because he didn’t try to over cook it.
It almost seems like a universal truth that any attempt to pull of a Kiwi accent is going to be a bad Australian accent, or vaguely English accent, instead
A slightly better example is Elizabeth Moss in Top of The Lake. You can tell she did her homework! Ultimately though, I wish they would just hire New Zealand actors for these roles.
@Shane McDowall That's not what I heard but it sounds possible,but still as an Aussie he was taking the piss out of us kiwis,well done.( I was surprised as he'll when I heard it the first time I saw the movie in 1983).
Best NZ accent I've heard was a chap on the red chair on Graham Norton. There was a while there, a few years ago, where heaps of NZers were getting on the red chair. Dude was amazingly good at the accent and had everyone fooled, but you could just hear a touch of exaggeration which gave it away.
This just popped up - nice clup! Ender's Game was ruined for me by Kingsley's performance, that kinda crushed and strangled Jaapie variant. Seriously, did the voice coaching come from listening to rugby commentators? I can't relate to Gutenberg. I'll always chuckle thinking of his namecheck in the Simpson's conspiracy theory episode on the Stonecutters - "who keeps the aliens under wraps / ... / who holds back the electric car, who makes Steve Gutenberg a star...?"
New Zealanders use something that us North Americans just don't use. It's like the back of the throat and a crazy tongue-throat movement that I don't think we have any experience in whatsoever. I can do other accents relatively well, but the New Zealand accent alludes me still.
Laughing cos, l had no idea any of them WERE attempting a kiwi accent. Sir Anthony, at least gave it a proper crack. Edited cos, bugger, now l want a jelly tip. 😊
Burt's accent was strange even by NZ standards according to (Aussie/Kiwi) director Roger Donaldson. I liked it,but you are right kiwis SAY FAHST not feast.
Kiwi here. I once saw an Agatha Christie movie on youtube. The main female character was played by an English actor. When she first spoke, I thought "Oh she's Australian." Turned out she was meant to be a New Zealander. I couldn't get over the comments on how "good" her NZ accent was. I cringed all the way through.
That might not be how New Zealanders say "fast" but it's certainly how Burt Munro said it. It wasn't a great movie but he absolutely nailed the voice and mannerisms.
Hopkins was criticised for his accent at the time. I had never enjoyed his acting up until "Indian" in which I thought he played the role brilliantly. (And I haven't enjoyed his work since.) Sure, he had some strange pronunciations, but doesn't everyone (who isn't me). I'm a Kiwi and my family have been here since 1840 but even some other Kiwis, along with Britons and Americans, have taken me for English. I have no pretensions. I was just taught to speak properly, not with any sort of accent, as my parents did. I'd consider bothsides of the family lower middle class or aspiring middle class. My wife was born in Auckland to two Irish immigrants but sometimes I have difficulty understanding her because of her kiwi accent (Ellen for Alan etc). Her sister has lived in Australia and America, and like sometime PM Jim Bolger comes home with the accent from where she has been, but generally she now speaks strine.
Lobo Marunga was 100 percent on the money. We are all just too butt hurt to accept the raw truth in that performance, and the fact that our entire culture can be captured in four random objects from a general international souvenir store, we all got a cuzzie Lobo somewhere in our family, there’s always a family of Marungas on every street, revving their motorcycles. If you can pronounce Nyu Zilnd you can do our accent. It’s that easy. And also worshorstyle is a quintessential kiwi greeting that is constantly misunderstood by our own people.
I figured one of the main reasons is because here we speak more in the "front" of our mouths while americans and alot of other places speak at the "back". A good example is "How are you?" If you say it in an American accent your tounge will lift at the back of your mouth for the "are" but if you say it in a kiwi accent you can say the whole thing without moving your tongue at all
I have seen a lot of your videos by now and you make great content. It's fun to watch. However, the irony is not lost on me because you don't sound like a typical kiwi yourself ( not a broad speaker but just a general one which seems to be your background). To me, you sound more british whose had influences from Australia/ Newzealand dialect because none of your short vowels that 'shift' in an nz dialect have shifted, if you know what I mean. But your tone and rhythm of speech does sound kiwi.... Just something I noticed or maybe I am wrong.
My accent changes depending on who I'm speaking with personally. It becomes more lazy/Maori sounding around workmates but more posh/Aucklandish around family
