New Zealand is one of the farthest former dominions of Great Britain, and from the first days of its development is economically closely connected with Australia. Their relations found reflection in the vocabulary. New Zealanders’ speech and especially New Zealand slang include a great number of australianisms, which appeared in different historical periods of the development of the country. In the early years of colonization there appeared such words as: bush – ëåñ (alongside with bush in New Zealand the word forest is still used, whereas in Australia it came out of usage long ago), backblocks – âíóòðåííèå ðàéîíû ñòðàíû, paddock – îãîðîæåííûé çåìåëüíûé íàäåë èëè ïðèóñàäåáíûé ó÷àñòîê, gridironing, spotting – âûáîðî÷íàÿ ñêóïêà çåìëè, post-and-rail fence – îáìàçàííûé ãëèíîé çàáîð èç ïðóòüåâ àêàöèè, break – çàáîð, êîòîðûé ïî ìåðå íàäîáíîñòè ëåãêî ðàçáèðàåòñÿ è ïåðåíîñèòñÿ íà äðóãîå ìåñòî, squatter - çåìëåâëàäåëåö, cocky – ìåëêèé ôåðìåð-àðåíäàòîð, stock-whip - êíóò, stock - ñêîò (together with it the word cattle is used in New Zealand), mob – îòàðà, ñòàäî, òàáóí (the word flock is also used ).
In the years of gold rush such common for Australia and New Zealand words appeared in the language as: digger – çîëîòîèñêàòåëü, ïàðåíü, to fossick - èñêàòü çîëîòî, nugget – çîëîòîé ñëèòîê, reef – çîëîòîíîñíàÿ æèëà, shanty - òðàêòèð, colour – çîëîòîé ïåñîê, etc.
Other words of Australian origin are everyday words of New Zealand English: tucker - åäà, damper – ïðåñíàÿ ëåïåøêà, lollies - êîíôåòû, sundowner, swagger – áðîäÿãà, ñåçîííûé ðàáî÷èé, wowser - õàíæà, sheila - äåâóøêà, billy – êîòåëîê äëÿ êèïÿ÷åíèÿ âîäû, dincum - ÷åñòíûé, etc.
The divergence of the New Zealand and British vocabulary definitely is not limited by the australianisms spread in New Zealand. Though the influence of literary English on New Zealanders’ speech is great it cannot slow down the process of creating new words. One of such early creations is the word Newzealander which on the dawn of colonization meant native (Maori). The whites in their turn were called by the word pakeha, which was borrowed from Polinesian (pakeha aggression, pakeha customs, pakeha Maori). By the end of the 19th cent. the word Newzealander broadens its meaning and begins to be used to name any member of the population. Sometimes Newzealanders are called
pig-islanders, which has the historical basis: the pigs brought to New Zealand on ships by captain Cook multiplied in number, got wild and became a threat to the economy of the country. By the way, the New Zealand wild pig is called Captain Cooker.
Colonization of New Zealand began on the western coast of the South Island, its inhabitants till now have kept the name coasters. The first colonizers settled in poor dwellings called shacks, cob cottages or whares on the coast, and then penetrated further into the country – bush. Later on this word gave birth to a number of New Zealand collocations: bushfighting – âîéíû ñ ìàîðè, bushlayer – ñòåëþùàÿñÿ ëåñíàÿ êóìàíèêà, äîñòàâëÿâøàÿ ìíîãî õëîïîò ïðè ðàñ÷èñòêå ëåñíûõ ó÷àñòêîâ, bush-siddy – ðàáî÷èé íà ëåñíîé ïðîñåêå, ïî êîòîðîé ñòâîëû äåðåâüåâ ïåðåïðàâëÿþòñÿ íà ëåñîïèëüíûé çàâîä, break-down men – ðàáî÷èå, î÷èùàþùèå îò êîðû è ñó÷üåâ ñòâîëû äåðåâüåâ, bush-sickness – íàçâàíèå îäíîé èç áîëåçíåé ñêîòà, bush warbler, bush hawk, bush wren – ïîðîäû íîâîçåëàíäñêèõ ëåñíûõ ïòèö.
The years of hard and persistent work passed; in the time of gold rush and boom land development there were born and disappeared boom cities, boom towns; the profile of the national economics was determined. Land owners which earlier preferred to live in Great Britain (absentees), moved to New Zealand or sold the land in parts (blocks, sections) to squatters. Gradually the landscape of the country changed: thick forests gave way to pastures and fields, wild animals were killed. Coniferous forests characteristic of New Zealand - endemic pine trees kauri, totara, kahikatea, rimu, maire – were energetically cut down. Especially valuable was the gigantic tree kauri used in ship-building. Like most New Zealand trees, it grows very slowly, that is why the cruel cutting out of that tree was a sad loss for the nature.
Consequences of colonization turned out to be disastrous for animal world as well, which is especially rich and various among the birds. Since the beginning of the 20th cent. the government of New Zealand has been taking care of the environment and the law now protects plants, animals and birds. There are birds sanctuaries too, for the Newzealanders have grown more conscious of their birds and trees. They are proud of fantails and shining cuckoos, the tius, and strange flightless birds, the wood hen or the weka, and the kiwi. The bush to the Newzealander means the stillness and quiet of trees. It means the totara, the rimu and the maire, it means the lancewood and coprosomas, the ribbonwood and puriri with bright pink flowers, the rata with red blossoms flaming on a hillside.