When learning languages such as te reo MÄori and Gagana SÄmoa, I cannot help but notice that there are a bunch of words that feature some form of duplication in them. For example, in Samoan, several colour terms are reduplicated, such as uliuli (black) and pa'epa'e (white). In MÄori, there are words such as huihui … Continue reading Reduplication in some Malayo-Polynesian languages
Maori
Trying to understand MÄori months
Recently, I have found myself back in the mood of learning te reo MÄori more seriously, as I take larger strides in learning and familiarising myself with the words of the language. While some words sound like loanwords that have entered MÄori, some others remind me of languages like Malay or Indonesian. But there is … Continue reading Trying to understand MÄori months
Te Reo MÄori o Aotearoa — The MÄori Language
Aotearoa, or New Zealand, is amazing. Uninhabited before the 13th century, the Eastern Polynesians settled here after a long series of voyages through the islands of the South Pacific. These early settlers would later be the MÄori people, calling Aotearoa their home. Now numbering about 775 000 in New Zealand (as of the 2018 census), … Continue reading Te Reo MÄori o Aotearoa — The MÄori Language
Interesting Things to Note in Austronesian Languages
At the start of this year I started to have a certain craving to learn some Austronesian Languages. We're not only talking about Malay and Indonesian, but also languages of the Polynesian and Micronesian Islands like Gagana Samoa, Niuean and the like. There were some nice observations I made when studying some of these (I'm … Continue reading Interesting Things to Note in Austronesian Languages
The Language Closet 