Story: Rural language

The colonial adjective

The colonial adjective

New Zealand ways of speaking were often deplored as rough and crude. The word ‘bloody’, used incessantly and inventively, was also known as ‘the colonial adjective’. This 1905 article from the Tuapeka Times discusses the word’s origins and use.

Using this item

National Library of New Zealand, Papers Past
Reference: Tuapeka Times. 15 February 1905, p. 3

Permission of the National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Dianne Bardsley, 'Rural language - The evolution of rural language', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/document/18583/the-colonial-adjective (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Dianne Bardsley, published 24 Nov 2008