The first person to record and describe pronunciation in New Zealand was Samuel McBurney, a Scottish singing teacher and educationalist who emigrated to Australia in 1881. McBurney went on a lecture tour of Australia, New Zealand and North America in 1887, and during his time in New Zealand he noted the characteristics of pronunciation. His observations were published in part five of Alexander Ellis's book On early English pronunciation (1889). Listen to linguistics scholar Elizabeth Gordon explain some of McBurney’s findings.
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History of Music Education in Australia
Photograph by Eden Studios
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Sound file from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives Ngā Taonga Kōrero. Any re-use of this audio is a breach of copyright. To request a copy of the recording, contact Sound Archives Ngā Taonga Kōrero (Interview Elizabeth Gordon, 1984/Reference ID35988)
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