The addition of some te reo Māori words to the Oxford English Dictionary caused a stir earlier this year, with charges of assimilation and worse. Such concern is understandable, given the history of appropriation of Maori culture, art and, of course, land.
However, I believe the concern here is misplaced. The inclusion of Māori words is neither new nor limited to the Oxford dictionary. More significantly for te reo, when words are taken from one language into another, it is the giver, not the taker, who acquires the mana.
"Borrowing", as it is called, is universal. Whenever two communities communicate with one another, there will be a trade in words for many reasons. It can be an equal trade, but often it has been the result of conquest and colonisation. The majority of English words come from other languages: from the Vikings, from Latin, from the Normans. In each of these cases, English was the inferior language, the conquered people forced to accept foreign words to replace their own or to express new concepts.
The current debate about changing colonial place names back to their original Māori (such as restoring Russell to Kororāreka) reminds us that colonisers sometimes created their own names for places, flora and fauna which already had local names. For example, many fish, such as the blue cod (rāwaru), were given English names because of their resemblance to those found in European waters.
On the other hand, settlers accepted the Māori names of many trees, plants, fish and birds. Nīkau, kōwhai, kea, kākāpō - the list is huge. In the meantime, Maori borrowed a large number of kupu (words) from English. These include names of animals and concepts that the settlers brought with them: nūpepa (newspaper), hipi (sheep), kura (school or learning), kāwana (governor) käwhe (calf) and so on.
Esta historia es de la edición September 16 - 22 2023 de New Zealand Listener.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición September 16 - 22 2023 de New Zealand Listener.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.