22 Jan 2020

Te Reo everyday use could help new learners

From First Up, 5:43 am on 22 January 2020

This audio is not downloadable due to copyright restrictions.

If you're a regular listener to Radio New Zealand you'll hear Maori words and phrases throughout the day. Perhaps you can't speak Maori and don't understand every word that's said - but research shows New Zealanders have a supringsly strong knowledge of the word forms of te reo. Now, with the help of a 660-thousand dollar grant, a team of University of Canterbury-led research team will try and find out whether this helps when adults learn Maori. Meriana Johnsen spoke to Professor Jeannette King from the Aotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies, who began by explaining what 'proto-lexicon' means.