As many of you know the New Zealand proper pronounciation of “Fish and Chips” is “fush n chups”. It’s been striking me over the last few days as my kiwi accent reasserts itself, how different I sound when talking about work versus home life here in NZ. I had lunch with a good family friend and mentor yesterday and (after a free golf lesson, he’s quite the player) we chatted about being a small business man and working for yourself. When I spoke about what I do I lapsed into a heavy north east american accent. Bill just laughed at me!
Last night we were over at Bill & Ngaire’s house for beef fillet, good old kiwi barbeque and some loverly wine. We had a Penfolds Tawny port that was quite outstanding and ate our fill of delicious Kiwi ice cream and berries.
Filed under: New Zealand, happenings, kids
Hi there! I just stumbled over your blog and you are making me very homesick! I’m also a Kiwi from Dunedin and living near DC. I came to do a post doc at the NIH, met an American guy and got married in 2004. I’m now working at Walter Reed in Silver Spring. Did you grow up in Dunedin? I went to Bayfield High School from 83-86 and then Otago Uni. Anyway, I look forward to hearing more about your holiday in Dunedin. Have a Speights and a Jimmy’s pie for me!
I’ve become fascinated by this whole fush and chups thing for ages. I live over in Old Blighty, and have met a number of Aussies who all do an impression of their Kiwi neighbours. They always sound like a Deth Scottsman.
The only Kiwis I’ve ever known are no longer in the country, so I’m reduced to trawling the bars of England trying to get Kiwis to utter the phrase. They never will.
If there are any Kiwis out there, please record me a genuine sample of this phrase. thanks.
Was reading about fush and chups in a study abroad guide and didn’t kow what it was. Thank goodness your blog translated it for me. i thought it was some sort of goat dish.
Thanks again.
i have lived in both New Zealand,australia and London.each time i gained a new accent and lost one my mother of tounge was a British accent.
when i first came to NZ they had a rather weird accent where they seemed to say there sentences as if they were questions and they tend to roll there “r” as well as high pitched voice at the end of there sentences. i gained a NZ accent of course. then i moved over to australia.and most people that i came across would get me to say “fish and chips”
they say i produced it like “fush and chups” and sounded like we say it with a deeper voice.
but when i heard Aussies say it it sounded like they have a nasal problem. “they pronounce it – “feesh and cheeps” with a higher pitch to it.i also got asked to say “the cat sat on the mat” and was said to sound something more like “the cet set on the met”.People out of the pacific always ask do NZ and OZ have a rivalry between each other.answer is no- when i was in NZ all New zealanders say that they Ozzie’s.and in Ozzie they all say they love NZ. the Ozzie’s and nz have a close mutual bond they just like to take the piss out of each other,most of each side don’t find it offence. Aussie and NZ think that they sound completely different. i have found a website where you can hear a NZ or Aussie accent or any accent.where it lets you listen to an audio over the net.
website- http://www.web.ku.edu/idea/Australianocenia/newzealand