Author(s): Elizabeth Gordon

NZ Non Fiction

Secondhand. Autographed.

"Me and Dad flew home from Australia on Ear New Zealand and there was nothing we wanted more than fush'n'chups with youse guys". Is New Zealand English going to hell in a handcart, or is it simply evolving into an increasingly distinctive Kiwi form? Should we be seeking to hold on the old and claw back what we have 'lost', or should we learn to accept change and rejoice in something that is uniquely our own? Sociolinguist Elizabeth Gordon has been commenting on this and other matters of linguistic debate in a weekly column in the Christchurch Press for the past two years. This book is a compilation of those 100 columns, each one a fascinating reflection on our changing language.