1. EDUCM 118 LECTURE 1: Linguistic Origins of the Māori Language
Sunday, 28 April 2019
EDUCM 118
LECTURE 1:
Linguistic Origins of the Māori Language

2. Linguistic origins of Māori
Language families/language
change
Māori as a Polynesian language
Māori as a Austronesian language
Evidence for Theory
Implications for Māori education

3. English Māori Samoan Fijian Arosi one tahi ta’i tasi dua ta’ai two rua
Rarotongan
Samoan
Fijian
Arosi
one
tahi
ta’i
tasi
dua
ta’ai
two
rua
lua
three
toru
tolu
oru
four
wha ’a va
hai
five
rima
lima
six
ono
seven
whitu
’itu
fitu
vitu
biu
eight
waru
varu
valu
walu
nine
iwa
iva
ciwa
siwa

4. Te whānau reo (he āria) Reo Matua (Tupuna) Tupuna ?
Reo Tamāhine Reo Tamāhine Reo

5. Whānau Reo A matua tamāhine tamāhine tamāhine tamāhine

6. Whānau Reo E
Matua
tamāhine
tamāhine tamāhine tamāhine

7. Proto-Indo-European ‘*patēr’
Classical Sanskrit Latin Gothic Old Irish
Greek
patēr piter pater fadar athir
Italian Spanish French Port Catalan
padre padre père pai pare

8. x

9. Language reconstruction
Linguists reconstruct “hypothetical
languages” (proto-languages)
- Involves; phonology, vocabulary change, lexicons, word formation, syntax
- Insights from history, anthropology/ DNA etc. etc.

10. Language reconstruction (2)
Difficult without written records
Speakers interact with other languages
Language change irregular (over time)
Some proposed groupings not widely accepted .

11. Proto-Polynesian (cf. Marck)

12. x

13. x

14. Moriori (Rēkohu/Chatham Is.)
“Claimed” as being pre-Māori
Clearly East Polynesian
Shares grammatical innovations with Māori (not found elsewhere)

15. Austronesian Languages
Approx languages, wide area
Tagalog, Malay, Javanese big pop., but most small pop. & endangered
Age years ?
Most likely origin Taiwan .

16. Summary
Linguistics suggest Māori is a Polynesian Language, part of Austronesian Language family
Theory is theory, and should be based on evidence
Linguistic Affinity does not always mean cultural affinity (Māori-Hawai’i/indigenous interactions)

17. References http://pollex.org.nz/