My first blog so I will use it to address the needs of my people.
Nga mihi e te Iwi, Hapu, Tangata…
Next week is Maori language week so I’d like to invite you all to welcome our Nations language into your homes.
I know that Maori is perceived as being a language that is not useful to the World but with this attitude we hinder our children and our country!
We have to be the only country in the world that believes being monolingual will see us get ahead, it is this mentality that will see us fall into the dark ages and lose the mana/prestige that our ancestors died for.
If you do a little google search you will find there has been numerous studies that have been done that prove being bilingual has numerous advantages academically, socially.
Childhood bilingualism flows on to reading acquisition, word awareness skills, mathematics and helps give our children a more definitive range of skill.
So why is it that our country have not taken advantage of this great skill?
Why are we not protecting our language by law?
Why does the government not make it compulsory?
Well over the next week I hope to look into these questions or you could leave me a comment in regards to why you feel we have not taken to billingualism and why we are so scared.
But for now korereo mai…
Māori Language Week runs from 21-27 July, 2008. The theme for 2008 is “Te Reo i te Kāinga – Māori Language in the Home.”
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 21-27 Hōngongoi 2008
Māori Language Week 21-27 July 2008
Arohanui
L.W
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