Who are we? : voice, accent and identity in New Zealand television advertising : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Media Studies at Massey University

Abstract

This thesis examines the extent to which accent has informed constructions of national identity within New Zealand television advertising. It considers how accents have been introduced to, and used within, television commercials over time. In analysing representations of nationality in a series of texts, it also discussed how audiences are interpellated as 'ideal' citizens or 'real' New Zealanders, and which groups of society this may include/exclude. This thesis identifies and discusses five discourses of national identity in the advertising texts chosen and concludes that while accent and voice have shifted over time, constructions and representations of New Zealand's national identity have not experienced a shift to an equal extent.