We are constantly told that te reo Māori is some kinda sacred language that must be preserved at all costs. Billions of dollars are being spent on government programmes, schools, and advertising campaigns to force the language into everyday life. When you actually look closely at modern te reo, a lot of it is not uniquely Māori at all. It is what you might call te reoish – English words simply rebranded to sound Māori.
Take a few everyday examples:
- Kawhe – coffee. Hardly original.
- Mīti – meat. Just a vowel swap.
- Pata – butter. They literally took the word butter and slapped a P at the start.
- Pepa – pepper. Again, just tweaking the sound.
Pata pīnati – peanut butter. It could not get more obvious.
This pattern is everywhere. Rather than being an ancient or complex system, much of what is taught today as te reo is a direct copy-and-paste of English, with minor pronunciation changes. It is English in Māori dress.
Of course, all languages borrow words over time, but the difference here is the sheer scale and the insistence that this “te reoish” is somehow a sacred taonga that demands billions in taxpayer spending. If te reo Māori is meant to be so unique and special, why is so much of it just bastardised English? Is this cultural appropriation?
The truth is that what many politicians, activists, and academics are pushing today is less about preserving an authentic language and more about cultural posturing. Te reoish is English with a paint job, and the public is expected to pretend it is something extraordinary.
It is time for an honest conversation. Is New Zealand really reviving a language, or are we being sold a te reoish version of English, wrapped up in politics and identity?
Matua Kahurangi is just a bloke sharing thoughts on New Zealand and the world beyond. No fluff, just honest takes. He blogs on https://matuakahurangi.com/ where this article was sourced.
8 comments:
Speaking modern reoish is easy. Step 1 - take a handful of gobstoppers. Step 2 - put them in your mouth. Step 3 - speak English.
Spot on Matua.
Anywhere else, it would be called pidgin English. Let's reclaim our language and call it what it is.
It's all part of the indoctrination process to make you think that Maori are better than every other culture - look at us , see how clever we are adjusting to the modern world (meanwhile belittling yours)
Ardern has just sunk to another new level by publishing a kiddies book !
Has she included Maori words to prove that it's a significantly important language ?
Or, has she figured out that Maori words are an impediment in her new self imposed exile ?
Translations: Maori to English.
Te = The (definite article).
Reo = Language or Voice.
So the dear little language bigots and trolls (as I always refer to them as) have managed to have Maori language titled as THE Language. Not Maori Language as it should be. Or maybe Maori Reo if writing in Maori.
Disclosure. I am not a Maori Language speaker and I make a point of not using Maori words or idioms in conversation or wherever. The Maori language should be removed from the wider culture and returned to the originators. Call me out as an English language purist and I don’t care.
Adding to list Matua’s list. I took these from just the letter K. There will be a lot more scattered through the English/Maori dictionary, which I use very occasionally.
Ki = Key
Kingi = King
Komiti = Committee
Matua is on target. We could end up with a grossly inferior version of the English language. We would all be performing language acrobatics – to what purpose?
Some months ago julian Willcox interviewed a/the early maaori lingo commissioner (or whatever called). The guy explained that the first years or so was spent devisng words...! Even then the lingo is so restricted that resort to baffling metaphor is forever necessary.
Maori will never support as too embarassing but if there was an English to maori dictionary with the origin and date of each word I would invest in a copy. Is there any other native lingo so riddled with contrived words?
Probably in PNG Robert and it's called Pidgin
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