Pronouncing Your Rs in New Zealand English?: A Study of Pasifika and Maori Students

Abstract

Although New Zealand English (NZE) is generally categorised as a non-rhotic variety of English, recent findings suggest some evidence of non-pre-vocalic /r/ in the music of singer-song writers and hip-hop musicians (Coddington 2004; Gibson forthcoming), many of whom are of Maori or Pasifika descent. There appears, however, to be little evidence of non-pre-vocalic /r/ in the speech of these singer-songwriters (Coddington 2004). These findings contrast with those from the present study of younger Maori and Pasifika speakers of NZE where low levels of both non-pre-vocalic /r/ and linking /r/ are present. This paper evaluates the use of both non-pre-vocalic /r/ and linking /r/ in the readings of forty Maori and Pasifika intermediate students and compares their use of /r/ with their views on American and New Zealand English.