>> in due course most of them will sound more like
>> New Zealanders ...

> Zounds! =A0Do they know that?

> The Commonwealth Refugee community here is extensive;
> interesting diction abounds.

So I've read.
Memory suggests that the claimants were people of capability who were
sure of their claims.
Typical academics probably :-).
The suggestion was that my the analysis of speech and trends with time
they could show where a language was moving towards, and that British
English was irrevocably Kiwi bound.

"Phonetic drift" may be a useful search term.

A very quick look around the Gargoylesphere (4:55am and have a project
to get finished) I could not find supporting references. However, hind
brain says it was a moderately well held theory.

We'll see :-).

            R

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