A few years ago, I went to New Zealand for my studies. I discovered once I was there that it wasn’t just the accent that was different in New Zealand, but also some parts of the language and the intonation, which is quite confusing when you’re not expecting it!!

Il y a quelques années, je suis allée en Nouvelle-Zélande pour mes études. Ma mère étant anglaise, je parlais déjà assez bien anglais, mais je ne connaissais que l’anglais britannique et n’avais entendu l’accent néo-zélandais qu’en de rares occasions… J’ai découvert en arrivant là-bas que ce n’était pas que l’accent qui était différent en Nouvelle-Zélande, [...]

Listen and then speak. Improve your chances at developing an excellent accent.

I am starting to feel like somewhat of a celebrity here in Hamburg. It seems no-one has ever met a Brit before, let alone someone that speaks the Queen’s English. I am, therefore, somewhat of a novelty over here…

To the rest of the world, the differences between New Zealand and Australia may seem small. I admit there are many similarities – both were settled by Great Britain, both countries love a BBQ on a sunny summer day (of which there are many!) both have great beaches and laid-back people. And of course, both [...]