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Margaret Mutu

In search of the Missing Ma?ori Links?Maintaining Both Ethnic Identity and Linguistic Integrity in the Revitalization of the Ma?ori Language

For Ma?ori, the correct answer to the question “Who are you?” for any individual lies in the formulaic sayings of each of his or her own extended family and tribal groupings whose ancestral lands and waterways are located throughout Aotearoa / New Zealand. Genealogy is also an important and highly prized means of identification. In this article the saying of Te Wha?nau Moana group of extended families (hapu?) of Karikari in the far northern region of the country is explained as an example. Given that such sayings are always expressed in Ma?ori, the question arises as to how children whose parents and teachers are not good speakers of Ma?ori will fare in terms of identity. Difficulties in the Ma?ori language of teachers and children in Ma?ori-language immersion preschools and schools (ko?hanga reo and kura kaupapa Ma?ori) are identified as grammar-related. Solutions are suggested whereby the grammar of second-language learners can be improved.

International Journal of the Sociology of Language, Walter de Gruyter

Print ISSN: 0165-2516
Volume: 2005, 02/2005
Pages: 117 - 132

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