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The Maori Race

Language

Language.

The Maori speech of New Zealand is a dialect of the Polynesian language; a language spoken with curious unity wherever the fair-skinned inhabitants of the Pacific Islands dwell. The New Zealand dialect is probably the most perfect form of the original speech (although the claims of local patriotism elsewhere may dispute the statement) for it appears to have preserved many of the primary consonants, whilst in the other island groups one or more of these letters have been dropped. In Rarotonga and the Cook Islands page 68 generally, the h is wanting and so strongly is the prejudice against the aspirate indulged that wh is also dropped and consequently the f of other groups. Thus not only does the Maori hara a sin, become the Rarotongan ara, but the Maori whare a house is pronounced are; this is Tahitian fare. The Marquesans drop r; the Samoans k; the Tahitians k and ng; the Hawaiians lose k and change t into k. These changes can best be exemplified by showing the likeness and differences of two or three words in different Polynesian dialects. The Maori word hara, a sin, becomes in Samoa sala; in Tahiti hara; in Hawaii hala; in Tonga hala; in Rarotonga ara; in the Marquesas haa, etc. The Maori ngutu, the lip, is written in Samoa gutu; in Tahiti utu; in Tonga gutu; in Hawaii nuku; in Rarotonga ngutu; though where written g it is pronounced nasally ng.

It therefore follows that most Polynesian words should be referred to Maori for their perfect form or rather for the most perfect existent form, for many of the Maori words have suffered immense abrasion from their ancient simplicity and integrity. The word for “rain,” for instance, was probably hurangi or sulangi, and has passed through forms still spoken in the Malay and other islands as urani, ulani, ulan, ula to the modern Maori ua “rain.”

There are considerable differences of pronunciation in the sub-dialects among the New Zealanders themselves. On the East Coast of the North Island the ng becomes n, so that page 69 tangata, “a man,” is there pronounced tanata. The natives about Whanganui drop the h sound, as Rarotongans and Cockneys do. In the South Island ng becomes k, so kainga, “a settlement,” becomes kaika, and rangi, “sky,” raki.

The Maori language is musical, direct and strong. In using it there was no difficulty in describing any object or circumstance of the old primitive life before Europeans came. The copious vocabulary and customary picturesque metaphor used allowed full range for any conversational or oratorical flights of speech. Of course, when foreigners appeared there arrived with them numerous objects for which Maoris had no name, and abstract ideas for which they had no adequate mode of expression. The vocabulary was then extended with bastard words written according to the nearest sounds capable of being conveyed by the sixteen letters of the Maori alphabet. “Horse” became hoiho; “soldier,” hoia; “glory,” kororia, etc., and this system disfigures the written or printed pages of Maori literature (alas! how small and starved a literature!) at the present day. It was difficult to avoid, but could have been averted to a great extent, and thus have saved the growth of a hideous wen on what was once a beautiful variety of human speech.

The simplicity of the grammar is to a European more apparent than real, as the peculiar use of particles and alteration of the form of sentences to convey shades of meaning are very difficult to master in perfection. It is easy to learn a sort of Maori lingo, but it is page 70 doubtful if any beside a few exceptionally-gifted individuals ever acquire the language sufficiently well to make their speech (reo) grateful to the native ear if that speech has not been a “mother-tongue” or prattled in childhood.