Māori (or Maori) is a language spoken by the native peoples of New Zealand and the Cook Islands. New Zealands Maori Language Commission (Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori) is a State organisation set up under the Māori Language Act 1987 with the following functions: (a) To initiate, develop, co-ordinate, review, advise upon, and assist in the implementation of policies, procedures, measures, and practices designed... ISO 639 is one of several international standards that lists short codes for language names. ... SIL International is a non-profit, faith-based, scientific organization with the main purpose to study, develop and document lesser-known languages for the purpose of expanding linguistic knowledge, promoting world literacy and aiding minority language development. ... This list of languages is alphabetical by English name. ...

History

Māori was brought to New Zealand by Polynesians coming most likely from the area of Tahiti, who likely arrived in sea-faring canoes which were double-hulled and very probably sail-rigged. Polynesia (from Greek, poly = many and nesi = island) is a large grouping of over 1,000 islands in the central and southern Pacific Ocean. ... Tahiti is the largest island in French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean, at 17°40′ S 149°30′ W. The island had a population of 169,674 inhabitants at the 2002 census. ...

In the last 200 years the Māori language has had a very tumultuous history, going from the position of predominant language of New Zealand until into the 1860s, when it became a minority language in the shadow of the English brought by white settlers, missionaries, gold-seekers and traders. In the late 19th century, the English school system was introduced for all New Zealanders, and from the 1880s the use of Māori in school was forbidden (see Native Schools). Increasing numbers of Māori people learned English because it was required at school and because of the prestige and opportunity associated with the language. Until World War II, however, most Māori still spoke Māori as a native language. Worship was in Māori, it was the language of the home, political meetings were conducted in Māori, and some newspapers and some literature was published in Māori. As late as the 1930s, some Māori parliamentarians were disadvantaged because the Parliament's proceedings were by then carried on in English. In this period, the number of speakers of Māori began to decline rapidly until by the 1980s less than 20% of Māori spoke the language well enough to be considered native speakers. Even for many of those people, Māori was no longer the language of the home. Events and trends Italian unification under King Victor Emmanuel II. Wars for expansion and national unity continue until the incorporation of the Papal States (March 17, 1861 - September 20, 1870). ... A minority language is a language spoken by a minority of the population of a country. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Events and Trends Technology Development and commercial production of electric lighting Development and commercial production of gasoline-powered automobile by Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Maybach First commercial production and sales of phonographs and phonograph recordings. ... In New Zealand, Native Schools were established to provide education for the Maori. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km (over 11 miles) into the air. ... Events and trends The 1930s were spent struggling for a solution to the global depression. ... The New Zealand Parliament is the legislative body of the New Zealand government. ... Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 1960s and 1970s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ...

By the 1980s, Māori leaders began to recognize the dangers of the loss of their language and began to initiate Māori-language recovery programs such as the Kōhanga Reo movement, which immersed infants in Māori from infancy to school age. This was followed by the founding of the Kura Kaupapa, a primary school program in Māori. The kohanga reo (English: language nests) are kindergartens where all instruction is given in the Maori language. ...

Classification

The Māori language belongs to the Austronesian family of languages. A member of the Tahitic branch of the Polynesian languages, it is most closely related to Tahitian, spoken in Tahiti and the Society Islands, and to Rarotongan, spoken in the southern Cook Islands. The Austronesian languages are a family of languages widely dispersed throughout the islands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia. ... Most languages are known to belong to language families (families hereforth). ... The Tahitic languages are a group of East Central Polynesian languages, a group which also includes Rapan and the Marquesic languages. ... The Polynesian languages are a group of related languages spoken in the region known as Polynesia. ... Tahitian, a Tahitic language, is the official language of French Polynesia and is spoken throughout Oceania. ... Tahiti is the largest island in French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean, at 17°40′ S 149°30′ W. The island had a population of 169,674 inhabitants at the 2002 census. ... The Society Islands (Îles de la Société in French) are a group of islands in the south Pacific, administratively part of French Polynesia. ... Rarotongan is an East Central Polynesian language spoken mainly in the southern Cook Islands. ...

Geographic distribution

Māori is spoken almost exclusively in New Zealand, by upwards of 100,000 people, nearly all of them of Māori descent. Estimates of the number of speakers vary: the 1996 census reported 160,000, while other estimates have reported as low as 50,000. The only other country with a significant portion of Māori speakers are the Cook Islands, which used to be part of New Zealand, but have been independent since 1965, albeit still closely associated with New Zealand. 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... A census is the process of obtaining information about every member of a population (not necessarily a human population). ... 1965 was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ...

Official status

Māori is one of three official languages of New Zealand, the other two being English and NZSL. Most government departments and agencies now have bilingual names, for example, the Department of Internal Affairs is known as Te Tari Taiwhenua, and bodies such as local government offices and public libraries also have bilingual signs. New Zealand Post recognises Māori place names in postal addresses. Many countries have a language policy designed to favour or discourage the use of a particular language or set of languages. ... New Zealand Sign Language, or NZSL, is the main language of the Deaf Community in New Zealand. ... Department of Internal Affairs (Te Tari Taiwhenua in Maori) is New Zealands oldest government department. ... New Zealand Post Limited is the dominant postal operator in New Zealand. ... New Zealand postal addresses follow the same format as much of the English-speaking world. ...

Māori Language Week

In 2004 Māori Language Week was celebrated between 26 July and 11 August 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... (Redirected from 26 July) July 26 is the 207th day (208th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 158 days remaining. ... (Redirected from 1 August) This article is in need of attention. ...

Dialects

The 1894 (Fourth) edition of Grammar of the New Zealand Language (by the Archdeacon of Auckland, R. Maunsell, LL.D., described seven distinct dialects for the North Island alone — Rarawa, Ngapuhi, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, East Cape, Port Nicholson–Wanganui, and Wanganui–Mokau — but mentioned some variations within some of those) 1894 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... An archdeacon is a position in Christian churches. ... Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest urban area in New Zealand. ... A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος) is a variety of a language used by people from a particular geographic area. ... The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island. ... Ngapuhi form one of the major and (with over 100,000 members) most numerous of the Maori tribes or iwi in New Zealand, occupying much the Northland Peninsula, also known as Tai Tokerau, north of the city of Auckland. ... Waikato is the name of a region in the North Island of New Zealand. ... The Bay of Plenty, often abbreviated to BoP is a region of New Zealand situated around the body of water of the same name. ... Port Nicholson, also known by the Maorified name of Poneke, is a large natural harbour at the southwestern end of New Zealands North Island. ... Wanganui is an urban area and district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. ... Wanganui is an urban area and district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. ...

By 2004, many of the minor dialects have probably declined almost to extinction, and most new students and speakers can be expected to use the official and/or Māori Television standards. However, regional variants (http://www.maori.org.nz/ko-te-reo/dialect.htm) are still apparent, on different websites and even between speakers and subtitle-writers on Māori Television. 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Twentieth-century broadcasting in Māori was provided by various New Zealand TV stations. ...

A Māori phrasebook which is a useful general guide for visitors is here (http://wikitravel.org/en/article/Maori_phrasebook) at Wikitravel.

Kāi Tahu (Southern) Māori

One dialect that has returned to prominence in recent years is the Kāi Tahu dialect, often referred to as Southern Māori. The most obvious feature is the substitution of k for ng, as evidenced in the tribal name (Ngāi Tahu is the name used in certain acts of Parliament, leading to the common usage of both versions of the name). Ngāi Tahu, or Kai Tahu, is the principal iwi (tribe) of the southern region of New Zealand. ...

Other variations from more northern dialects include the presence of extra consonants g (as distinct from ng or k, e.g., Katigi, Otago), and l which substitutes for r (e.g., Little Akaloa, Kilmog, Waihola, Rakiula (a variation of Rakiura or Stewart Island). The "wh" of northern Māori is also often replaced by a simple "w" or even "u", as in (e.g., Wangaloa). Stewart Island is the third largest island of New Zealand. ...

Southern Māori also has apocope as a frequent feature, with the final letters of words often being pronounced as schwas or remaining unvoiced. For these reason, early European settlers to New Zealand referred, for example, to Lake Wakatipu as "Wagadib", and many locals still refer to Otago as Otaguh. Apocope, in linguistics, refers to the loss or leaving out, or elision, of the last sound, syllable, or part of a word. ...

Until the last decade or so, Southern Māori was discouraged in favour of standard (Waikato) Māori, but has gained in acceptance in recent years, leading to changes in the official names and translations of several southern places and institutions. Mount Cook, for example, was also known as Aorangi for many years, but now is graced by the alternative name of Aoraki. Similarly, Dunedin's main research library (the Hocken Library) is now given the alternative name of Te Uare Taoka o Hākena, rather than Te Whare Taonga o Hākena. Aoraki/Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand. ...

Southern Māori still leads to some confusion among general Māori speakers, who will frequently persist in using standard Māori pronunciation rather than Southern Māori for southern place names, notably the town of Oamaru (pronounced with four syllables in standard Māori, but only three in Southern Māori).

Cook Island Maori

See main article Rarotongan language

Rarotongan is an East Central Polynesian language spoken mainly in the southern Cook Islands. ...

Grammar

Nouns

Of all of the existing Polynesian languages, Māori is the only member of the group where compound nouns are formed extensively. Long compound nouns are possible in Māori, but unlike German, compound nouns are not heavily used.

Sounds

Vowels

Māori has seven diphthongs: /ae/, /ai/, /ao/, /au/, /oe/, /oi/, and /ou/. A front vowel is a type of vowel sound used in some spoken languages. ... A central vowel is a type of vowel sound used in some spoken languages. ... A back vowel is a type of vowel sound used in some spoken languages. ... A close vowel is a type of vowel sound used in many spoken languages. ... A close-mid vowel is a type of vowel sound used in some spoken languages. ... An open vowel is a vowel sound of a type used in most spoken languages. ... In phonetics, a diphthong (Greek δίφθογγος, diphthongos, literally with two sounds) is a vowel combination usually involving a quick but smooth movement from one vowel to another, often interpreted by listeners as a single vowel sound or phoneme. ...

Consonants

<ng> is pronounced /ŋ/, that is, like the ng in English "sing." The pronunciation of <wh> varies, but it is generally pronounced /ɸ/, an "f" or "h" sound made by putting the lips together as if to make a "w" sound. Māori <r> is a tap, like the <r> in Spanish, or like the t in the American English pronunciation of "city." In phonetics, a bilabial consonant is a consonant articulated with both lips. ... Alveolars are consonants articulated with the tip of the tongue against the alveolar ridge, the internal side of the upper gums (known as the alveoles of the upper teeth). ... Velars are consonants articulated with the back part of the tongue (the dorsum) against the soft palate (the back part of the roof of the mouth, known also as the velum). ... The vocal cords, also known as vocal folds, are composed of twin infoldings of mucous membrane stretched horizontally across the human larynx. ... A stop or plosive or occlusive is a consonant sound produced by stopping the airflow in the vocal tract. ... Note: This page contains phonetic information presented in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) using Unicode. ... (adj. ... tap dance tap or flap consonant the composition Taps the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) the Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline (TAP) tap (valve) tap (tool) a device for cutting threads to receive a bolt. ... Semivowels (also called semiconsonants or glides) are vowels that function phonemically as consonants. ...

Writing system

There is no native writing system for Māori. Missionaries made their first attempts to write the language using the Roman alphabet as early as 1814, and Professor Samuel Lee of Cambridge University worked with chief Hongi Hika and his junior relative Waikato to systematize the written language in 1820. Literacy was an exciting new concept that the Māori embraced enthusiastically, and missionaries reported in the 1820s that Māori all over the country taught each other to read and write, using sometimes quite innovative materials, such as leaves and charcoal, carved wood, and the cured skins of animals, when no paper was available. The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most widely used alphabetic writing system in the world. ... 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The University of Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world (after Oxford). ... Chief can refer to The chief engineer of a naval vessel or anyone with the rank Chief Warrant Officer in the Canadian Forces In heraldry, a chief is a band of colour or metal making up the top (usually the top third or slightly less) of a shield. ... Waikato is the name of a region in the North Island of New Zealand. ... 1820 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Events and Trends Nationalistic independence movements helped reshape the world during this decade: Greece declares independence from the Ottoman Empire (1821). ...

There has been speculation that the petroglyphs once used by the Māori developed into a script similar to the Rongorongo of Easter Island, but there is no evidence that these petroglyphs ever evolved into a true system of writing. Rongo rongo, the hieroglyphic script of Easter Island, has remained a mystery since its discovery. ... Writing is a process which may refer to two activities: the inscribing characters on a medium, with the intention of forming words and other lingual constructs that represent language and record information, or the creation of information to be conveyed through written language. ...

Reo Māori and its role in the mental health system

Reo Māori allows oranga hinengaro (mental health) workers to provide Māori clients with personalised therapy. Being able to communicate and explain whakaoranga (therapy) procedures and outcomes allow both kaimatai hinengaro as well as Māori clients to understand and clarify any areas of concern. Māori clients are able to communicate their expected outcomes of whakaoranga using Reo Māori and kaimatai hinengaro are able to utilise Reo Māori concepts of health, such as Whare Tapa Wha model in their whakaoranga sessions. Being able to speak the same language not only acknowledges the ahautanga whakatipu (upbringing) of Māori clients, it also allows Māori clients to relate better to their kaimatai hinengaro. Māori (or Maori) is a language spoken by the native peoples of New Zealand and the Cook Islands. ...

External links

• NZ Reo, NZ Pride (http://www.nzreo.org.nz/)
• Ethnologue report for Maori (http://www.ethnologue.org/show_language.asp?code=MBF)
• Māori Language Commission (http://www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz/) (for definitive standards).
• English and Māori Word Translator (http://kel.otago.ac.nz/translator/index.html) from the Knowledge Engineering Laboratory of the University of Otago.
• Online edition of the Ngata Māori–English English–Māori Dictionary (http://www.learningmedia.co.nz/nz/online/ngata/) from Learning Media; gives several options and shows use in phrases.
• Webster's Māori–English Dictionary (http://www.websters-online-dictionary.com/definition/Maori-english/) — (Take care. Uses the double letter long vowel conventions instead of macrons).
• Free Māori spellchecker (http://www.maorispellchecker.net.nz/)
• Collection of historic Māori newspapers (http://www.nzdl.org/niupepa)
• Maori Phonology (http://www.maorilanguage.info/mao_phon_desc1.html)