Friday 22 October 2010

How well do you know some basics in Te Reo?

As a pakeha New Zealand, I take pride in knowing a little te reo, using everyday greetings and farewells, counting in Maori numbers, using some of the colour words. I've never studied te reo formally, but I've paid attention, and picked up a fair number of words here and there. But I've got a long way to go, especially with respect to grammar, and even just with using some of the longer and more formal greetings and farewells.

The Dominion-Post has a "Te reo quiz". It's not really a te reo quiz: it's more a vocabulary test. Even so, go test yourself.

Update: In comments, anjum has pointed to a site where you can sign up to get a word a day in Te reo. The site is here: He Kupu o te Rā. You can get the word-a-day via e-mail, or via your RSS reader.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's quite a good test (I got 8/10 with a few correct guesses).

Apart from learning to count to 10 I never really learnt Maori at school. I did try to learn a bit more on my own (using the internet) about a year ago. I am studying Law at University, so I compared the English & Maori translations of the treaty to work out what the Maori words meant... unfortunately, I've now forgotten most of them ;)

I'd like to learn more Te Reo, but I guess I want it to be 'made easy' for me so that I don't have to learn by picking up a book.

A beginner's Maori program on TV would be great. I know the Maori channel teaches Maori language, but it always seems too advanced for me when I watch it.

[Amelia]

stargazer said...

woohoo! i got 10/10, though most were calculated guesses. it also helps that i signed up to receive a te reo word a day by email from here.

notafeminist said...

Amelia: I'd suggest you think about looking at Toku Reo on Maori Television (or Te Reo television, I can't remember which). I'm faily sure it's extreeemely basic, and hopefully is accessible online.

Deborah said...

8 out of 10 for me, though a couple were lucky guesses. "Arero" was one guess: I looked at it and wondered if it had some commonality with korero, and so opted for tongue.

I've signed up for the word a day. Thanks for letting us know about it.

Alison said...

8/10 here too, and went through exactly the same process of elimination for arero as Deborah.

Ooh and thanks for the link stargazer, have signed up for te reo word of the day too. My vocab is getting better, although a lot of my words are linked to more abstract concepts since I'm learning them through my Maori health paper. I'm hoping to take a course in te reo at some point though. In the area I live and will be working in, I should get plenty of opportunity to use it.

MM said...

6/10 here and a couple of silly guesses that as soon as I clicked them I knew were wrong.
My appreciation for Te Reo and desire to learn more has increased every year. I'm learning more now with my children in preschool/playcentre, phrases as well as words. I wish I had thought more for myself back in high school when we had the chance to learn Te Reo, and not listened to my step father who rubbished it all as 'PC madness'.

ManaMaori said...

I think Deborah is desperately trying to prove to the world that she is not a racist because she knows a little te reo. Sorry it doesn't wash with me.

I wonder if any Maori or PI women ever post here?

notafeminist said...

ManaMaori, Deborah isn't a racist. Trying to insinuate that doesn't make it true. Also, there *are* Maori/PI women who post here, just so you know.

I got 10/10 for this, but then I have a BA in te reo (not that that necessarily makes me any good!) - although arero didn't immediately spring to mind like the others did.

Deborah said...

Thanks, notafeminist. I do try to not be racist, 'though I make mistakes from time to time. The bummer of it is that I hesitated for a log time before posting something about the Dom-Post quiz, then thought that the better thing to do would be to direct people to it, as a small thing to do in support of Te Reo.

I'm going to be back in NZ next year, lecturing in something entirely technical, but I had been planning to number my lecture slides: tahi, rua, toru, wha, rima, ono and so on. Again, a very small thing to do, but at least something. I'd welcome suggestions about other ways to work te reo into my lectures.

traceytui said...

10/10 for me, @manamaori.......with a name like that im suprised you even question deborahs motives......I am Maori and a follower of this blogg