This is Maori language week, a time to think about the survival of the Maori language and to encourage more people to use it. Listen to more about the purpose of Maori language week: July 29 2009
About 18,000 people are fluent in Maori but the number of fluent speakers is dropping. Only about 7% of Maori people speak the language well. However, 54% of Maori people say they can understand it. On the positive side, more young people are learning Maori and more Pakeha are learning Maori.
Some Maori words are now part of New Zealand English. Kia Ora is a common greeting and most of us know words like kai (food), marae (meeting house), hui (meeting), mokopuna (grandchildren), kaumatua (elders), hangi (cooking food in the ground), tangi (for someone who has died), Te Reo (Maori language). Children learn basic Maori words at kindergarten and school as well as songs in Maori. TV and radio often include Maori greetings or introductions. Government departments, polytechs, universities, libraries are just some of the places where we see Maori labels. Maori ceremonies for important visitors are also common. However, a few Maori labels, greetings, ceremonies and common words are not enough for the language to survive.
The government spends $250m on helping to keep Te Reo alive. Some of that money is for Maori radio and TV and some for Maori language lessons.
This week the focus is on kai – different foods, ways of preparing food, eating together. Some supermarkets have put Maori labels for food to remind us of Maori language week.
If you want to learn the New Zealand national anthem, listen to the NZ national anthem.
To learn some Maori words, go to www.koreromaori.co.nz.
Questions
1. Why is it important for Te Reo to survive?
2. What can the government do to encourage people to learn Te Reo?
3. What kind of things help a language survive?
1. Ko tenei reo, he reo no konei – heeoi anoo ko te tino whakaaro ma taatou katoa hei hiki hei whakakaha i too taatou reo rangatira maa aa taatou tipurang.
2. Ma te kawanatanga e whakatuu he ture maa ngaa tamariki katoa i Aotearoa ki te ako te reo Maori peeraa ki te reo Pakeha.
3. Ka kooreo te reo i ngaa waa katoa, i ngaa waahi katoa, ki ngaa taangata katoa.