21DSG30
Doctoral Thesis
Project commenced:Hana Mereraiha Skerrett-White ( Ngā Tahu, Ngāti Pikiao, Tainui, Taranaki), University of Canterbury
The sociology of te reo Māori is the study of the relations between te reo Māori and Māori society, Māori values, Māori worldviews, Māori knowledge and Māori identities. In those terms, the object of this study would be Māori society and the impact of a colonising language, English, on te reo Māori. That would provide the impetus for language survival strategies in a language revitalisation endeavour.
In terms of this study, which incorporates sociological perspectives through an ethnolinguistic lens, it is closely related to the field of sociolinguistics which focuses on the effect of societal change on te reo Māori, the emphasis given in this study. In short, the object of this thesis is to examine the linguistic structure of te reo Māori and the way in which the language has evolved in response to a range of contributing phenomena with a view to identifying
I. Aspects of fluency, accuracy and ideological clarification around what is unique about te reo Māori?
II. What is the connection of the Māori language to Māori thinking?
III. What is the relationship between te reo Māori as an indigenous language to this land and resources? (see research questions below).
Research Question(s)
Definition of Terms Define the key words or phrases used in the research questions according to their meaning in your study (including terms which may seem obvious to you, such as ‘teachers’).
1) He aha te ia o te kōrero, ko te reo kia rere ko te reo kia tika ko te reo kia Māori
2) He aha te hononga o te reo ki te whakaaro Māori? He aha tēnei mea te whakaaro Māori?
3) He aha te hononga o te reo ki te whenua me ōna hua?