Maori Language Week 2011

What is meant by Maori language revitalisation?

‘Reversing language shift’ or ‘language revitalisation’ are terms used to describe efforts to halt and reverse the decline of endangered indigenous languages. The underpinning notion is that threatened languages are particularly vulnerable if there is a more dominant language (often English) used by its speakers. 

In recent years many indigenous language communities have adopted a framework developed by world renowned sociolinguist Joshua Fishman to assist their language revitalisation efforts. Adopted by Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori, this framework identifies five critical components that measure language health or the vitality of a language. These components are:

·         Status: What value do people place on Maori language? What attitudes and beliefs do people hold towards the use of Maori language in different facets of their everyday lives?

·         Use:  How frequently do Maori speakers use their Maori language skills?  In what domains do Maori speakers use the language? What do they talk about in Maori?

·         Critical Awareness: How much do people know about the health of Maori language? Do people know the choices that exist in terms of learning and speaking Maori? Do they have strategies to implement the choices they make?

·         Corpus: Can Maori language adequately describe and reflect modern Aotearoa life? Are there words for new technologies that are used in homes and communities?

·         Acquisition: How many people know how to speak Maori? How did these people learn Maori? What is the range of proficiency among Maori speakers?

Fishman identifies two main focus areas for language revitalisation as the home and community. The first area recognises the importance of the minority language as the first language of use in the home between parents and children (intergenerational transmission). The second acknowledges the critical role that wider communities play in enabling intergenerational transmission to occur.