Non-Māori speakers can recognise 1000-plus te reo words, understand meanings of 70 - study

By Kelvin McDonald of Whakaata Maori

Non-Māori-speaking Kiwis can recognise more than 1000 te reo Māori words or part-words but only understand meanings of about 70, a new University of Canterbury study shows.

The study, Assessing the size of non-Māori-speakers’ active Māori lexicon, provides ideas about how “incidental exposure” to language is helpful for anyone who wants to learn a language, says the study’s co-author Professor Jeanette King.

“The Government’s aim is for one million New Zealanders to be able to speak te reo by 2040. This body of research helps us understand what our baseline understanding is now for non-Māori-speakers. It has provided information about the Māori proto-lexicon – the words we don’t even know we know,” she says.

The study came about after two of the university’s linguistics lecturers overheard their preschoolers chatting and singing in the backseat of the car.

“They were singing Māori songs, using the right sound patterns but making up the words. For instance, Māori words never end in a consonant and their mimicking showed they had understood that – they understood what we call phonotactic sound patterns,” King says.

“And so, the lecturers thought, ‘if children are picking up this knowledge about the Māori language sound system, what about adults?’”

They found that most New Zealanders not only have great understanding of Māori sounds but also subconsciously recognise a lot of words.

“Teachers of second languages advise you to have movies with the language you want to learn on in the background as you go about your day. The more you can build up sound patterns and word knowledge, it’s going to be helpful. By understanding that people already have a knowledge of Māori sound patterns and words, we’re hoping that will encourage more people to learn Māori.”

The findings support events such as Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, the use of bilingual road signs and increased use of te reo Māori in public places, King says.

“Our newest findings show that people really can’t define these words that they subconsciously recognise. Non-Māori-speaking New Zealanders have a considerable knowledge about a word before they know its actual meaning.”

The study is expected to be of interest to academics worldwide.

“New Zealand is the perfect place to study the proto-lexicon, with only one indigenous language and reasonably strong ‘incidental’ exposure to the language. The status of the language here and promotion of Māori language also play a part.”

King says the research team has taken their commitment a step further and are all on their journey to learn te reo Māori.

“We have a responsibility as New Zealanders to see that Māori language flourishes. It’s part of not just taking language for granted. It feels important and appropriate, and of course being based in a university, we have good access to Māori language courses.”