Next week is Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori | Māori Language Week in New Zealand.
The week has been marked every September since 1975 and commemorates the presentation of the Māori Language Petition, which advocated for the teaching of te reo Māori in schools, to Parliament on 14th September 1972.
Te reo became an official language of New Zealand in 1987, but for many years its use was low, with many fearing not speaking English would set them apart or put them at a disadvantage. In more recent years, though, the language has seen a resurgence with people reconnecting with their Māori heritage and learning the language, and many others learning simple words and phrases like “Kia ora” (hello), “Haere mai” (welcome), “Aroha” (love/compassion) and “Mana” (authority/standing). Now, te reo is commonplace on television programmes like the news and weather, in adverts and in general communication.
One of the aims of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori | Māori Language Week is to encourage even more people to give te reo a try.
Learning another language is one of those things many of us say we’d like to do.
You might have learnt one at school and remember a few words and phrases. Perhaps you have family or friends from overseas, and you are curious to know more about their native language. Or perhaps you are keen to study, work or live abroad and want to be able to talk to people in their local language.
There are plenty of practical reasons to learn a language. It can make travelling easier, help with work and make it possible to communicate with more people.
But learning a language has some hidden benefits too.
You become a better listener
When you’re learning a new language, you have to listen carefully, especially at the beginning when things don’t come naturally.
Learning a new language reminds us that understanding isn’t always automatic, and that communicating well involves more than simply knowing the words.
This concept of close listening and the need to understand can help not just when you are learning a new language, but when you are in conversation more generally. Next time you are talking with someone, pay real attention. Listen to the sounds they make, the way they construct a sentence or the way they emphasise certain words or phrases. It might give you a whole new understanding of the conversation.
You get comfortable with being a beginner
There’s something useful about being bad at something.
As adults, we spend a lot of time doing things we know how to do. We drive the same routes in the same car, we do the same tasks at work, we cook the same meals regularly. But learning a new hobby or a new language makes us a beginner again.
You’ll forget words. You’ll pronounce things incorrectly. You’ll construct a sentence that made perfect sense in your head but doesn’t quite work when you say it out loud.
And that’s OK.
Being a beginner gives us a chance to practise not knowing things.
It gives you a wider worldview
Languages aren’t simply different sets of words for describing the same things.
They develop within particular cultures and communities, and they can give us another way of thinking about relationships, place, time, respect and everyday life or the way we express ideas.
For people learning te reo Māori, for example, language can also be a way of learning more about the culture and history of Aotearoa New Zealand.
It can help us connect
Perhaps the simplest benefit of learning a language is that it gives us another way to connect with people. Speaking in someone’s own language shows respect and that you are willing to make an effort ( even if it might be an effort containing plenty of mistakes!).
You don’t need to be fluent. Sometimes knowing how to greet someone, pronounce their name correctly or say a few everyday phrases is enough to make a conversation feel different.
Start small
One reason people put off learning a language is the scale of the task, but you can benefit even from just learning a few words and phrases to start with.
Challenge yourself to:
Learn ten words.
Learn how to introduce yourself.
Learn to count to ten.
Work out how to pronounce a few names correctly.
Listen to music or watch a programme in the language you’re learning.
The point doesn’t have to be reaching some particular level. It can simply be becoming a little more familiar with another language and, through it, another part of the world.
If there’s a language you’ve always wanted to learn, perhaps this is the nudge to finally start.
And if you’d like to explore te reo Māori, Te Rangaihi Reo Māori has resources to help you get started, including everyday phrases and pronunciation guidance.