Five signs your grammar betrays you as being a Kiwi
You find yourself describing a funny story at a party and you’re interrupted by your listener who corrects your grammar. This might aggravate you in the first instance, and then leads you to think ‘If they understood me, why should the grammar matter?’
The study of language, and in particular New Zealand English grammar, is a fascinating and always-evolving field of study. University of Waikato Linguistics expert, Dr Andreea Calude, focuses her research on the ongoing debate between the written and spoken word and this touches on the difference between, prescriptivism and descriptivism.
Loosely simplified, a prescriptivist believes that a given language should follow consistent rules, while a descriptivist sees variation and adaptation as a natural and necessary part of language.
In regards to the New Zealand language, we see speech patterns that have deviated from the written English rules. Dr Calude outlines in her research that most of us form our spoken repertoire through unconscious habits, not memorised rules, and adapt to the needs of speakers and listeners. Some common local examples include:
- "Five dollar" instead of "five dollars"
- The tag “eh” at the end of statements
- Deleting the auxiliary ‘have’ in sentences like "He only done it by mistake”
- Using "real" as a degree adverb not just as an adjective in phrase like "real good" and “real cheap”
- Never using "shall" but instead using "will" in sentences like "I will/shall show you tomorrow”
While these signs aren’t unique to New Zealand English alone, they are grammatical characteristics that describe how many young New Zealanders speak.
While linguists take a descriptive view of language, Dr Calude argues that prescriptivism is useful in informing people about common established patterns at a given point in time – useful in formal contexts and when communicating with non-native speakers. Descriptivism on the other hand, gives us insight into the workings of the mind, and the ways in which we view the world.
So what do we take away from this debate? In her TED-Ed talk “Does Grammar Matter?”, Dr Calude concludes that grammar is a set of linguistic habits that are constantly being negotiated and reinvented by those who use it. Ultimately, we could consider grammar a complex web of influences from across the written and spoken worlds. Click here to view the presentation.
Where do you sit in the grammar debate? By studying Linguistics at Waikato, you could open your mind to this intriguing field of study – one that will provide you with essential understandings for any career where language is a key component. Apply now for a July 2016 start.