Kia ora! Since it is the new year, I thought I'd change up the format, we will still have a whakatauki, then I thought I'd share
my thoughts on language acquisition, and answer some common questions that pop up, and share some person experiences.
Whakatauki - E tia, me te wheke e pupuru ana. [Te Kohikohinga Whakatauki a Raupo, pg. 54]
- regular exposure is the key.
- focus on the sound of the language.
- track your time spent exposed to the language.
- the only resources you need are:
something to listen to
something to track your exposure
Te Wiremu Maori Dictionary
- when trying to express yourself in the reo, ask:
'how would I express this if I had no knowledge of English?'
- common questions, thoughts, and concerns:
question - how long will it take to become fluent?
answer - It's better to change your perspective, ask instead 'how long will it take to express myself in the reo?'
This answer gives your the flexibility to build upon your experience. If you have no knowledge of the reo
expressing yourself could be as simple as 'Matekai au' - I'm hungry, 'Kei te ako au.' - I'm learning.
question - should I buy a reo maori course?
answer - A course gives you the opportunity to be held accountable, be part of a community of like-minded individuals
pursuing a similar goal, and access to someone that is more knowledgeable in the reo than you are that can act as a source of help for you. A course isnt necessary but if you are the type of person that feels will benefit doing a course, then go with what you think is best.
question - What books should I use? I hear the Scotty Morrison books are good for beginners?
answer - You can purchase and use any books you like if you think it will be beneficial. My outlook is that we are all naturally lazy, the less things we need to do, the less friction there is, the less thinking involved the more likely we are to continue with it. The reason why I recommend Te Wiremu Maori Dictionary as the sole
book of study is that it is free, fairly easy to navigate, has a nice structure - it has a word, gives a definition, and has an example sentence (though not all the time). It's also a good resource to just browse the book, to increase your time exposed to the language.
question - Should I learn my pepeha?
answer - It's up to you really. Pepeha is a means to draw connections between you and the people you are encountering. It's finding a common ancestor, iwi, waka etc to whakawhaunga with each other. If you want to pepeha, then the general format is: maunga, awa, waka, iwi, marae, whanau, you.
question - I live overseas. How can I learn the reo when nobody around me speaks it or even knows about it?
answer - Kia ora! We are in the same waka. I've lived overseas, and continue to do so. 6 years ago I decided I would start my journey to improve my reo. I followed the above steps and have reached the point I am at in my life now.
question - I don't agree with the commercialisation or productisation of our reo maori, we shouldn't have to purchase our language
after it was forcefully taken away from our ancestors.
answer - We have all felt the effects of past injustices, and continue to feel them today. Let me ask this, "Will you start today reclaiming your own reo maori?" You don't need a course to help you reclaim your reo maori, you don't even need to pay anything. You can reach the level I am at doing the same things I did. Regular exposure to the reo, and consistency. I'm 6 years in, and I'm excited to see where I will be in another 6 years. Play the long game.
question - Wouldn't my time be better spent learning a more "beneficial" language?
answer - Define 'beneficial'?, define which language you think would be better to spend your time on? Now ask yourself "Why have I not starting learning it?, Will I start today?" Ultimately, you do you. Don't rely on what you think you 'should' do.
question - What listening content do you recommend?
answer - Ideally you want to listen to the same few things. When it starts to feel boring, or tedious, switch to something else.
Revisiting things feels like magic too. Often times when you come back to something, you'll notice that you understand a lot more than the last time. But to directly answer your question, here is what I listen to:
A Maori Podcast (Since it's completely in the reo, it fits what I look for. It also gives me a chance to review myself as a 'listener'.
I pick up on a lot of errors I make, better ways to phrase things, tone, rhythm, cadence, etc.)
Radio Kahungunu Archives.
News - Te Karere, Aukaha, Tahu News.
Taringa - (Mainly bilingual though. Kupu kupu kupu is my favourite series.)
question - I'm not Maori, and I feel awkward learning the reo, how do I deal with this?
answer - I felt similar when I first started learning Hawaiian. If you can find yourself some friends that are maori, reo speakers, and encouraging that will help you a lot with this feeling. That's how I dealt with it in regards to Hawaiian.
question - I don't have time to learn the reo, but I really want to.
answer - If you change your perspective from 'learn the reo' to 'listen to the reo' then you can create a time, and space for yourself where your are
immersed in the language, without feeling the pressure of needing to 'learn' the reo.
question - I have had bad experiences learning the reo, and it really shook my confidence. How do I deal with that?
answer - A few months ago I had an unpleasant experience with the reo. I was participating in an online reo roopu, someone asked a question regarding
the reo, and some structure. I answered it based on my own experiences, and someone else in the group went to town hurling abuse at me saying that I'm not welcome, and I should piss off, this group is for beginners. Even now it still hurts when I recall it. My advice, there will always be people that become hostile and make you feel small, if you can remove yourself from those situations, limit any interaction with people like that. Your attention is precious, and it is better spent on things that make you feel good, excited, motivated and encouraged.
question - I feel like I'm less Maori than others around me. I like the resurgence of maoritanga, and the reo, but at the same time I find it
discouraging because I feel like I can never reach that point. How do I deal with this feeling?
answer - Comparing ourselves to others is never helpful. If you feel that you must compare yourself, compare it to a previous version of yourself. If you continue feeling less Maori, limit the amount of time you spend online consuming content. Social media skewers reality, we always see an idealised version of reality, what we don't see is the 100s of hours put into a skill, the opportunities someone had, the environment the were in which help to cultivate their reo. If this feeling continues to hang around, try change your perspective, this feeling can be a way for you to help others that feel the same way.
question - Why dont you have transcripts, or English translations, or videos on A Maori Podcast?
answer - A few reasons:
Transcripts - It's time consuming. I can have it auto transcribed, but it still needs manual editing. I could pay for a service such as kaituhi, but it's an additional cost that isn't a necessity at this point in time. I may also need to manually edit afterwards too.
I'm hesitant because I know I still make many mistakes while speaking the reo, when it is in its written form, sometimes it can give off the vibe of "It's written down, so it must be correct."
I don't tend to put potae/tohuto on my words. I personally feel it is distracting, and it throws off the cadence and rhythm of the
spoken word.
English translations - again, time consuming, matching up the subtitles with the reo etc. Also, I feel that english translation can become
crutch that stifles progress.
Videos - again, time consuming, I also don't have any video editing skills. Even it I were to make shorts/reels, it still takes time, which
I find is not a necessity at this point in time.
question - What benefits can I expect from learning Maori?
answer - Personally in my own experience, I've had a few financial opportunities with my reo maori skills. I've been paid for translation services, cultural advising, and running reo maori courses.
Other beneficial experiences I've had include, feeling closer to my culture while living abroad, having the knowledge that I can speak the language of my ancestors, being able read maori newspapers from the mid 1800s. Being asked to lead reo Wananga in London.
Making friends from all over the world. Reo maori has also given me an understanding of language acquisition. I've now picked up Hawaiian after 2.5 years.
I can converse basically in Hawaiian, on most topics indefinitely. I still have a long way to go, but I'm happy with the progress I am making.
I've recently started learning Brazilian Portuguese. Learning/improving my reo maori has given me the confidence to learn additional languages. I have found that learning a language gives you an insight into how others see the world. It can also help you put yourself in other peoples
shoes.
