strategies

A few things I think I've figured out about learning Te Reo Māori, and a couple of questions

I’m closing in on 200 words of my Reo journey. Instead of waiting for the 200 day mark as an arbitrary point to reflect, I thought I’d take the time to share some things I think I’ve learnt, and some questions I definitely still have.

Some current questions I have.

How do I refer to the language? When is it correct to say “Te Reo” or “Reo” or “Te Reo Māori” or “Māori” or even, as I have heard some reo speakers say, “Reo Rangatira”? What is the meaning behind Reo Rangatira?

How do I learn to understand and speak idioms/ki waha correctly? Learning formal/correct grammar structures in one type of challenge, but how do I pick up the turns of phrase that are scattered throughout the language?

Some things I’ve figured out, I think.

You can do immersion at home. It’s possible to apply the principles of immersion to learning Te Reo Māori outside of an actual rumaki (immersion) environment. For example:

Good tools help. Bookmark The Māori Dictionary in your browser and install the app on your iPhone or Android smart phone for quick references.

Daily engagement is probably the most important thing. I started with daily flashcards using the Anki app on my phone (for free on Android and on your computer) and a collection of words based on the most frequent 1000 words in Māori.

If you learn five new words a day, you’ll basically cover 1000 words in half a year

Knowing people who speak Te Reo is encouraging. For a start, they can help you. But also, they’ll probably share the story of their learning journey with you.

The Reo Project | Day 190

Strategies for the classroom

I’m working on growing my strategies for keeping afloat in a rumaki (immersion) environment. Our kaiako (teacher) is encouraging us to stay in the Reo, which means I need to have a kete of phrases I can use and understand.

Here’s a few I’m working on:

Asking for General Help

Whakamāramatia mai anō - Explain that to me again.

Āwhinatia mai - Help me.

Āta kōrero mai anō - Say that again to me slowly/carefully

Asking for Specific Help

He tohutō kei runga i te (a/e/i/o/u)? - Is there a tohutō (macron) above the a/e/i/o/u?

He ā he ō rānei? - Is it ā or ō?

He aha te tīkanga o tāna kōrero? - What is the meaning of what you said?

He aha te tīkanga o tērā? - What is the meaning of that?

He tauira anō? - Another example?

When I’m Stuck

Aua hoki! - Dunno!

Kāore au i te mōhio - I don’t know

Kāore au i te mārama - I don’t understand

He uaua rawa! - It’s really difficult!

Listen out for these

Whakamahia tō papakupu - Use your dictionary

Mahi takirua - Work in pairs

Mahi ā-rōpū - Work in a group

Mahitahi - Work together

Kāinga mahi - homework

The Reo Project | Day 188

Increasing kōrero Māori

None of my hoanoho (housemates) or immediate hoamahi (workmates) have any fluency in Te Reo Māori, so regular kōrero Māori is pretty challenging.

Here’s what I’m doing at the moment:

  • I send at least one text message in Māori each day. I have four people I can text.

  • I always have at least one coffee date booked with one of these four people and we try and arrange it in Māori, and kōrero Māori for a little bit when we meet.

Here’s what I think my next steps are:

  • Learn and use on new passive command I can use with my kids each week.

  • Have a regular weekly 10 minute slot for kōrero Māori at work with the handful of people learning Te Reo this year.

Some other thoughts on what I can do to raise the temperature of the kōrero Māori water I swim in.

  • Put up a cheat sheet of encouraging phrases at work for my team to use for each other. Encouragement and praise must be in Māori first.

  • Put up a cheat sheet of email greetings and sign offs at work and use them in all our emails.

The Reo Project | Day 181