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Language Focus:
“Humour
is
another
aspect of life that differs
among cultures. The New
Zealand sense of humour
often
centres
upon
sarcasm
or
teasing.
Unless you understand
the nature of local
humour, even though you
may understand every
word spoken, you may
not ‘get’ the joke.”
Grant & Delvin: Kiwi
Conversations, AIT.
Below are two common types of humour often used in New Zealand:
Sarcasm (n): words are used to mean the opposite of their literal meaning.
While it was raining very heavily Sarah said to Jacqui, ‘What a lovely day!’
Teasing (n): making fun of a person’s mistakes, behaviour or physical appearance.
James falls over his bag and Tracey says, ‘Did you enjoy your trip?’
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Jane has caught a
cold and feels sick.
Mark is sad and
disappointed that his
company did not get
the business deal.
The following conversation dialogues include examples of ‘kiwi humour’:
1. Two housemates early in the morning:
Jane:
Sarah:
Jane:
Sarah:
Jane:
Sarah:
[grumbles…] Morning.
Morning, Jane. You’re looking better, almost human. (1)
Oh, you’re too kind.
How’s your cold today?
Marvelous, thanks. I feel fantastic [grumbles…] (2) I think I’ll go back to bed.
Ok, I’ll bring you a cup of tea. That might make you feel better.
2. Two co-workers in the office:
Mark:
Colin:
Mark:
Colin:
Which
I can’t believe we didn’t finish the project!
Don’t worry, Mark. There is always next time.
Yeah, but we really needed that deal.
Oh, cheer up, mate! You’ve got a face on like a funeral! (3)
sentences
(a) sarcasm?
(b) teasing?
[1-3]
in
the
conversations
above
are
examples
Scroll down and check your
answers!
of:
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‘Slang’ words are also often used in humour in New Zealand.
Look at the example of a common adjective in New Zealand English ‘dodgy’ [pronounced
‘dod-gee’]. Can you match the meanings with the example sentences on the right?
Dodgy (adj):
.
Means
Example expression
___ = bad
(a) “Can we take your car? My car’s a bit dodgy at the moment”
___ = unreliable
(b) “I drank too much last night. I’m feeling a bit dodgy”
___ = spoiled
(c) "This fish smells strange, I think it’s a bit dodgy"
___ = sick/unwell
(d) “It’s a bit dodgy if we rent the car without the insurance”
___ = suscpicious
(e) “the policeman said we looked dodgy but we were just standing
on the street corner doing nothing!”
___ = risky
(f) “My test scores are a bit dodgy”
Below are some more adjectives used to describe people in New Zealand. Look them up
online at www.dictionary.com to discover their meanings.
dodgy
cool
awesome
rude
honest
chatty
spunky
gorgeous
nasty
hot
Which ones have a positive (+) meaning and which ones are negative (-)?
Positive
Negative
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‘Syllables’ refer to the sound parts of each word.
For example, ‘dodgy’ is pronounced as [dod / gee] = 2 syllables.
The first syllable is stressed, as in [DOD / gee].
Now put the words from the vocabulary focus into the syllable columns below:
rude
dod / gy
?
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Reading Focus:
Conversation 1
Sarah: Morning, Jane. You’re looking better, almost human (1) = teasing.
Making fun of physical appearance.
Jane: Marvelous, thanks. I feel fantastic (2) = sarcasm.
Using positive words to describe a truly negative feeling.
Conversation 2
Colin: Oh, cheer up, mate! You’ve got a face on like a funeral! (3) = teasing.
Making fun of physical appearance.
Vocabulary Focus:
bad
unreliable
spoiled
sick/unwell
suspicious
risky
=
=
=
=
=
=
f
a
c
b
e
d
Positive
Negative
awesome dodgy
honest
nasty
spunky
rude
cool
chatty
hot*
*as in, good looking – not temperature.
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Pronunciation Focus:
rude
cool
hot
dod / gy
nas / ty
gor / geous
spun / ky
hon / est
awe / some
chat / ty
NONE
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