Episode 28 is now available, and it's free no matter where you get it from. You can listen to it or download it through the player at the bottom of the post here, or subscribe for free through iTunes here (you must have the free iTunes player installed). You can also listen to it for free through the player on my MySpace page.
It’s a short episode today. It’s
Maori Language Week this week, an annual event celebrating and promoting the Maori language. This year is special, celebrating 20 years since Te Reo Maori was declared an official language of
New Zealand, alongside English.
I begin by talking a little bit about the language from my perspective as a Pakeha immigrant, including talking about how relatively easy the language is to pronounce, if you try—and everyone should. The effort, even among tourists, is appreciated. But I don’t go into cultural details because that’s a topic in itself. For more information, you can go to the site of the Maori Language Commission. For even more, see “100 Maori words every New Zealander should know”.
Comments are next, and, of course, I expand on things in earlier podcasts. A new guest will be on my podcast soon, possibly Friday, maybe Tuesday.
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4 comments:
You keep having interesting topics -- thanks.
A question I think you got a while back and one that I've gotten from several friends in the US (I've been in NZ 4 months now) relates to comparisons of Māori/Pakeha situation and the US racial miasma. From what I can tell it's such a different situation that the language used to describe it in the US doesn't even work -- maybe you can explain from an American perspective.
thanks
I think you're right, it is very different here. The level of institutionalised racism just isn't as evident, which isn't to say there aren't problems or work to be done, but it's nothing like the US or Australia. There are both historic and cultural reasons for that, and New Zealand has particular reasons (like the Treaty of Waitangi) for moving forward in a more bicultural way.
I have to compliment you on the macron on the word Māori in your comment. I admit I'm pretty lazy about using it myself, but that's all it is--laziness.
I work on govt web sites so I learned how to make the macrons pretty quick. It's pretty well a habit now.
That thing without the macrons would have screwed me up as well. I think I would have thought precisely the same thing that you did. And what was the name of that mountain again? Egg something? I personally think we need more mountains with the word egg in them.
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