糖心视频

Non-M膩ori-speaking New Zealanders can recognize more than 1,000 te reo M膩ori words or part-words, but only understand meanings of about 70, a new University of Canterbury study shows.

Co-author Professor Jeanette King, from Te Whare W膩nanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury's New Zealand Institute of Language, Brain and Behavior, says the new study, "Assessing the size of non-M膩ori-speakers' active M膩ori lexicon," has provided ideas about how "incidental exposure" to language is helpful for anyone who wants to learn a language.

"The government's aim is for 1 million New Zealanders to be able to speak te reo by 2040. This body of research helps us understand what our baseline understanding is now for non-M膩ori-speakers. It has provided information about the M膩ori proto-lexicon鈥攖he words we don't even know we know," Professor King says.

"It initially came about because a couple of University of Canterbury linguistics lecturers were listening to their preschoolers chatting and singing in the backseat after picking them up from preschool. They were singing M膩ori songs, using the right sound patterns but making up the words. For instance, M膩ori words never end in a consonant and their mimicking showed they had understood that鈥攖hey understood what we call phonotactic sound patterns," she says.

"And so, the lecturers thought, 'if children are picking up this knowledge about the M膩ori language sound system, what about adults?'"

When they started to research the topic, they found that most New Zealanders not only have great understanding of M膩ori sounds, but they also subconsciously recognize a lot of words.

"Teachers of second languages advise you to have movies with the language you want to learn on in the background as you go about your day. The more you can build up sound patterns and word knowledge, it's going to be helpful. By understanding that people already have a knowledge of M膩ori sound patterns and words, we're hoping that will encourage more people to learn M膩ori."

The findings support events such as M膩ori Language Week, the use of bilingual road signs and increased use of te reo M膩ori in public places.

"Our newest findings show that people really can't define these words that they subconsciously recognize. Non-M膩ori-speaking New Zealanders have a considerable knowledge about a word before they know its actual meaning."

The research paper, published in the journal PLOS One, will be of interest to academics worldwide, Professor King says.

"New Zealand is the perfect place to study the proto-lexicon, with only one Indigenous language and reasonably strong 'incidental' exposure to the language. The status of the language here and promotion of M膩ori language also play a part."

A proto-lexicon is the type of word knowledge where you know the form of the word but not its meaning. The proto-lexicon is an important part of the process by which infants acquire language. That is, through repeated exposure to running speech, infants gradually learn to separate words from strings of sound and then begin to attach meanings to these words.

The research team has taken their commitment a step further and are all on their journey to learn te reo M膩ori.

"We have a responsibility as New Zealanders to see that M膩ori language flourishes. It's part of not just taking language for granted. It feels important and appropriate, and of course being based in a university, we have good access to M膩ori language courses."