Cook Islands Māori
Cook Islands Māori is an Eastern Polynesian language that is the official language of the Cook Islands. Cook Islands Māori is closely related to New Zealand Māori, but is a distinct language in its own right. Cook Islands Māori is simply called Māori when there is no need to disambiguate it from New Zealand Māori, but it is also known as Māori Kūki 'Āirani, or, controversially, Rarotongan. Many Cook Islanders also call it Te reo Ipukarea, literally "the language of the Ancestral Homeland".
Official status
Cook Islands Māori became an official language of the Cook Islands in 2003; from 1915 until then, English had been the only official language of the Cook Islands.Te Reo Maori Act definition
The Te Reo Maori Act 2003 states that Māori:.
Pukapukan is considered by scholars and speakers alike to be a distinct language more closely related to Sāmoan and Tokelauan than Cook Islands Māori. It belongs to the Samoic subgroup of the Polynesian language family. The intention behind including Pukapukan in the definition of Te Reo Maori was to ensure its protection.
The dialects of the East Polynesian varieties of the Cook Islands are:
- Rakahanga-Manihiki
- Penrhyn ;
- Southern: Rarotongan, Ngā Pū Toru, Aitutaki, Mangaia.
The language is theoretically regulated by the Kopapa Reo created in 2003, but this organisation is currently dormant.
Writing system and pronunciation
There is a debate about the standardisation of the writing system. Although the usage of the macron te makarona and the glottal stop amata is recommended, most speakers do not use the two diacritics in everyday writing. The uses a standardised orthography that includes the diacritics when they are phonemic but not elsewhere.Consonants
- Present only in Manihiki
- Present only in Penrhyn
- Present only in Manihiki and Penrhyn
Vowels
Grammar
Cook Islands Māori is an isolating language with very little morphology. Case is marked by the particle that initiates a noun phrase, and like most East Polynesian languages, Cook Islands Māori has nominative-accusative case marking.The unmarked constituent order is predicate initial: that is, verb initial in verbal sentences and nominal-predicate initial in non-verbal sentences.
Personal pronouns
| Person | Singular | Dual | Plural |
| 1st inclusive | au | tāua | tātou1 |
| 1st exclusive | au | māua | mātou2 |
| 2nd | koe | kōrua | kōtou |
| 3rd | aia | rāua | rātou |
- you -2 or more- and I
- they and I
| Pronoun | Cook Islands Maori | English | Word-to-word and gloss |
| au | Ka 'aere au ki te 'āpi'i āpōpō | I'm going to school tomorrow. | / go / I / / the / learn / tomorrow |
| au | Ka 'ārote au inana'i, nō te ua rā, kua 'akakore au | I was going to do the ploughing yesterday, but gave it up because of the rain. | / plough / I / yesterday / because / the / rain / day / / give up /I |
| koe | Kua kino iā koe tō mātou mōtokā | You damaged our car. | / bad / by / you //we /car |
| koe | Ko koe 'oki, te tangata tā te 'akavā e kimi nei | You are the person the police are looking for. | / you / also / the / man / / the / police / /look for/here and now. |
| aia | 'Ea'a 'aia i 'aere mai ei | Why did he/she come? | why / he or she / / go / towards me / |
| aia | Kāre 'aia i konei | He/she is not here. | / he or she / / here |
| Pronoun | Cook Islands Maori | English | Word-to-word and gloss |
| Tāua | 'aere tāua ! | Let us go! | go / we two |
| Tāua | Ko tō tāua taeake tērā ake | Here come our friends. | / / we two / friend or relative of the same generation speaking, but not in laws./ that / a little time away |
| we two, us two | Ka 'oki māua ko Taria ki te kāinga | Taria and I are going back home. | / return / we two / with / Taria/ / the / home |
| we two, us two | To tāua taeake tērā ake | Here come our friends. | / possession / we two / friend / that / a little time |
| Kōrua : you two | 'āe ! kua rongo kōrua i te nūti! | Hey! Have you heard the news? | hey / / hear / you two / / the / news / |
| Kōrua : you two | Na kōrua teia puka | This book belongs to you two. | / you two / this / book |
| Rāua : they, them | Tuatua muna tēia, ka akakite 'ua atu au kia rāua | This is a confidential matter, I shall only tell it to those two. | speak, speech / secret / this / / reveal / only / away / I / towards / they two |
| Rāua : they, them | No 'ea mai rāua ? | Where have the two of them been? / What have they been doing? | from / / / they two |
| Pronoun | Cook Islands Maori | English | Word-to-word and gloss |
| Tātou : We, us | Ko'ai tā tātou e tiaki nei | Who are we waiting for? | Who / / we, all of us / / wait for / here and now |
| Tātou : We, us | Kāre ā tātou kai toe | We have no more food. | / / we, all of us / eat, food / remain, remaining, the rest |
| Mātou : we, us | Ko mātou ma Tere mā i 'aere mai ei | We came with Tere and the others. | / we / with, and / Tere / / go / / |
| Mātou : we, us | Kua kite mai koe ia mātou | You saw us. | / see / you / at someone / we |
| Kōtou : | E 'aere atu kōtou, ka āru atu au | You go on, and I'll follow. | / go / / you all / / follow / go / / I |
| Kōtou : | Ko kōtou ko'ai mā i aere ei ki te tautai? | Who did you go fishing with? | / you all / who / in company with / / go / / / the / fishing |
| Rātou : they, them | Kua pekapeka rātou ko Tere | They and Tere have quarrelled. | / trouble / they all / / Tere |
| Rātou : they, them | Nō rātou te pupu māro'iro'i | They have the strongest team. | / they all / the / team / strong |
Tense-Aspect-Mood markers
Most of the preceding examples were taken from , by Jasper Buse with Raututi Taringa edited by Bruce Biggs and Rangi Moeka'a, Auckland, 1995.Possessives
Like most other Polynesian languages, Cook Islands Māori has two categories of possessives, "a" and "o".Generally, the "a" category is used when the possessor has or had control over the initiation of the possessive relationship. Usually this means that the possessor is superior or dominant to what is owned, or that the possession is considered as alienable. The "o" category is used when the possessor has or had no control over the initiation of the relationship. This usually means that the possessor is subordinate or inferior to what is owned, or that the possession is considered to be inalienable.
The following list indicates the types of things in the different categories:
- a is used in speaking of
– Food and drink,
– Husband, wife, children, grandchildren, girlfriend, boyfriend,
– Animals and pets,
– People in an inferior position
Te puaka a tērā vaꞌine : the pig belonging to that woman;
ā Tere tamariki : Tere's children;
Kāre ā Tupe mā ika inapō : Tupe and the rest didn't get any fish last night
Tāku ; Tāꞌau ; Tāna ; Tā tāua ; Tā māua…. : my, mine ; your, yours ; his, her, hers, our ours…
Ko tāku vaꞌine tēia : This is my wife;
Ko tāna tāne tērā : That's her husband;
Tā kotou ꞌapinga : your possession;
Tā Tare ꞌapinga : Tērā possession;
- o is used in speaking of
– Feelings
– Buildings and transport
– Clothes
– Parents or other relatives
– Superiors
Te 'are o Tere : The house belonging to Tere;
ō Tere pare : Tere's hat;
Kāre ō Tina no'o anga e no'o ei : Tina hasn't got anywhere to sit;
Tōku ; Tō'ou ; Tōna ; Tō tāua ; Tō māua…: my, mine ; your, yours ; his, her, hers ; our, ours …
Ko tōku 'are tēia : This is my house;
I tōku manako, ka tika tāna : In my opinion, he'll be right;
Tēia tōku, tērā tō'ou : This is mine here, that's yours over there
Vocabulary
Pia : Polynesian arrowrootKata : laugh at; laughter; kata 'āviri : ridicule, jeer, mock
Tanu : to plant, cultivate land
'anga'anga : work, job
Pōpongi : morning
Tātāpaka : a kind of breadfruit pudding
'ura : dance, to dance
Tuātau : time, period, season ; ē tuātau 'ua atu : forever
'īmene : to sing, song
Riri : be angry with
Tārekareka : entertain, amuse, match, game, play game
Dialectology
Although most words of the various dialects of Cook Islands Māori are identical, but there are some variations:| Rarotonga | Aitutaki | Mangaia | Ngāputoru | Manihiki | Tongareva | English |
| tuatua | 'autara | taratara | araara | vananga | akaiti | speak, speech |
| ꞌānau | ꞌānau | ꞌānau | fanau | hanau | family | |
| kūmara | kū'ara | kū'ara | kūmara | kūmara | kumala | sweet potatoes |
| kāre | kā'ore, 'ā'ore | e'i, 'āore | ꞌāita, kāre | kaua, kāre | kore | no, not |
| tātā | kiriti | tātā | tātā | tātā | tata | write |
| 'ura | koni | 'ura | 'ingo, oriori, ꞌura | hupahupa | kosaki | dance |
| 'akaipoipo | 'akaipoipo | 'ā'āipoipo | 'akaipoipo | fakaipoipo | selenga | wedding |
| 'īkoke | koroio | rakiki | tūngāngā | hikoke | mokisi | thin |
| 'are | 'are | 'are | 'are | fare | hare | house |
| ma'ata | 'atupaka | ngao | nui, nunui, ranuinui | kore reka | polia | big |
| matū, pete | ngenengene | pori | poripori | menemene | suesue | fat |