Cook Islands Māori
Māori, Maori Kuki Airani, Māori Kūki ʻĀirani
Native toCook Islands, New Zealand
RegionPolynesia
Native speakers13,620 in Cook Islands, 96% of ethnic population (2011 census)[1]
7,725 in New Zealand, 12% of ethnic population (2013)[2]
Language familyAustronesian
Official status
Official language in Cook Islands
Regulated byTe Kopapa Reo Maori (Maori Language Commission)
Language codes
ISO 639-2rar
ISO 639-3Variously:
rar – Rarotonga
pnh – Tongareva (Penrhyn)
rkh – Rakahanga-Manihiki
Glottolograro1241  Southern Cook Island Maori
penr1237  Māngarongaro
raka1237  Rakahanga-Manihiki
ELPSouthern Cook Islands Maori
IETFrar-CK
mi-CK
Cook Islands Māori is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

Cook Islands Māori is an Eastern Polynesian language that is an official language of the Cook Islands. It is closely related to, but distinct from, New Zealand Māori. Cook Islands Māori is called just Māori when there is no need to distinguish it from New Zealand Māori. It is also known as Māori Kūki ʻĀirani (or Maori Kuki Airani), or as Rarotongan.[3] Many Cook Islanders also call it Te Reo Ipukarea, which translates as 'the language of the ancestral homeland'.

Official status

English is an official language of the Cook Islands, and Cook Islands Māori became an official language also in 2003, as defined by the Te Reo Maori Act 2003.[4]

The Te Reo Maori Act states that Māori:

  1. means the Māori language (including its various dialects) as spoken or written in any island of the Cook Islands; and
  2. Is deemed to include Pukapukan as spoken or written in Pukapuka; and
  3. Includes Māori that conforms to the national standard for Māori approved by Kopapa Reo.

Writing system and pronunciation

There is a debate about the standardisation of the writing system. Although usage of the macron (־) makarona and the glottal stop (ʻ) amata is recommended, most speakers do not use them in everyday writing. The Cook Islands Māori Revised New Testament uses a standardised orthography that includes the ʻokina and macron.

Consonants
Labial Alveolar Velar Glottal
Nasal m n ŋ
Plosive p t k ʔ
Tap ɾ
Fricative f[a] v s[b] h[c]
  1. Present only in Manihiki
  2. Present only in Penrhyn
  3. Present only in Manihiki and Penrhyn
Vowels
Front Central Back
Close i iː u uː
Close-mid e eː o oː
Open a aː

Grammar

Cook Islands Māori is an isolating language with very little morphology. Case is marked by the particle that initiates a noun phrase, and like most East Polynesian languages, Cook Islands Māori has nominative-accusative case marking.

The unmarked constituent order is predicate initial: that is, verb initial in verbal sentences and nominal-predicate initial in non-verbal sentences.

Personal pronouns

Person Singular Dual Plural
1st inclusive au tāua tātou1
1st exclusive māua mātou2
2nd koe kōrua kōtou
3rd aia rāua rātou
  1. you -2 or more- and I
  2. they and I
Singular pronoun examples
Pronoun Cook Islands Maori English Word-to-word and gloss
au Ka ʻaere au ki te ʻāpiʻi āpōpō listenⓘ I'm going to school tomorrow. (unaccomplished asp.)/ go / I / (prep. goal/destination) / the / learn / tomorrow
Ka ʻārote au inanaʻi, nō te ua rā, kua ʻakakore au I was going to do the ploughing yesterday, but gave it up because of the rain. (unaccomplished asp.) / plough / I / yesterday / because (origin) / the / rain / day /(perfect asp.) / give up (litt. "do nothing") /I
koe Kua kino iā koe tō mātou mōtokā You damaged our car. (perfect asp.) / bad / by / you /(possession)/we (exclusive) /car
Ko koe ʻoki, te tangata tā te ʻakavā e kimi nei You are the person the police are looking for. (subject marker) / you / also / the / man / (possession) / the / police / (progressive asp. with "nei") /look for/here and now.
aia ʻEaʻa ʻaia i ʻaere mai ei Why did he/she come? why (ʻeaʻa... ei) / he or she / (accomplished asp) / go / towards me /
Kāre ʻaia i konei He/she is not here. (negation asp.) / he or she / (marking position) / here
Dual pronoun examples
Pronoun Cook Islands Maori English Word-to-word and gloss
Tāua ʻaere tāua ! Let us go! go / we two (inclusive)
Ko tō tāua taeake tērā ake Here come our friends. (subject marker) / (possession) / we two (inclusive) / friend or relative of the same generation (brother, sister, cousin either sex) speaking, but not in laws./ that (deictic)/ a little time (or distance)away
we two, us two (he/she and I) Ka ʻoki māua ko Taria ki te kāinga listenⓘ Taria and I are going back home. (unaccomplished asp.)/ return / we two (exclusive) / with / Taria/ (prep. goal)/ the / home
To tāua taeake tērā ake Here come our friends. (subject marker) / possession / we two (exclusive) / friend / that (deictic)/ a little time (or distance away)
Kōrua : you two ʻāe ! kua rongo kōrua i te nūti! Hey! Have you heard the news? hey (interj) / (perfect asp.) / hear / you two / (object marker) / the / news /
Na kōrua teia puka This book belongs to you two. (Possession) / you two / this (deictic) / book
Rāua : they, them (the two of them) Tuatua muna tēia, ka akakite ʻua atu au kia rāua This is a confidential matter, I shall only tell it to those two. speak, speech / secret / this / (unaccomplished asp.) / reveal (make known) / only / away (from the speaker)/ I / (prep. ki+a)towards (someone)/ they two
No ʻea mai rāua ? Where have the two of them been? / What have they been doing? from / (time and space interr.) / (indicating progression of time towards present) / they two
Plural pronoun examples
Pronoun Cook Islands Maori English Word-to-word and gloss
Tātou : We, us (you -2 or more- and I) Koʻai tā tātou e tiaki nei Who are we waiting for? Who (subject marker+identity interr.) / (possession) / we, all of us (inclusive) / (progressive asp.) / wait for / here and now
Kāre ā tātou kai toe We have no more food. (Negation asp.) / (possession) / we, all of us (inclusive) / eat, food / remain, remaining, the rest
Mātou : we, us (they and I) Ko mātou ma Tere mā i ʻaere mai ei We came with Tere and the others. (subject marker)/ we (exclusive) / with, and / Tere / (part used only after persons meaning those in company with / (accomplisshed asp.) / go / (movement towards speaker) / (emphasis marks)
Kua kite mai koe ia mātou You saw us. (perfect asp.) / see(towards speaker) / you / at someone (i+a) / we (exclusive)
Kōtou : (all of you) E ʻaere atu kōtou, ka āru atu au You go on, and I'll follow. (imperative asp.)/ go / (away from the speaker) / you all / (unaccomplished asp.) / follow / go / (away from the speaker) / I
Ko kōtou koʻai mā i aere ei ki te tautai? listenⓘ Who did you go fishing with? (Subject marker) / you all / who (identity interr.) / in company with / (accomplished asp.) / go / (emphasis) / (goal/destination) / the / fishing
Rātou : they, them (more than two) Kua pekapeka rātou ko Tere They and Tere have quarrelled. (perfect asp.)/ trouble / they all / (subject marker)/ Tere
Nō rātou te pupu māroʻiroʻi They have the strongest team. (Possession) / they all / the / team (litt. group of people) / strong

Tense–Aspect–Mood markers

Marker Aspect Examples
Tē... nei present continuous

Tē manako nei au i te ʻoki ki te ʻare : I am thinking of going back to the house
Tē kata nei rātou : They are laughing
Kāre au e tanu nei i te pia : I'm not planting any arrowroot

Kia Mildly imperative or exhortatory, expressing a desire, a wish rather than a strong command.

Kia vave mai! : be quick ! (don't be long!)
Kia viviki mai! : be quick (don't dawdle!)
Kia manuia! : good luck!
Kia rave ana koe i tēnā ʻangaʻanga  : would you do that job
Kia tae mai ki te angaʻanga ā te pōpongi Mōnitē : come to work on Monday morning
Teia te tātāpaka, kia kai koe : Here's the breadfruit pudding, eat up

e Imperative, order

e ʻeke koe ki raro : you get down
e tū ki kō : stand over there

Auraka interdiction, don't

Auraka rava koe e ʻāmiri i tēia niuniu ora, ka ʻutiʻutiʻia koe : don't on any account touch this live wire, you'll get a shock

kāre indicate the negation, not, nothing, nowhere

Kāre nō te ua : It will not rain
Kāre a Tī tuatua : Tī doesn't have anything to say

e... ana habitual action or state

E ʻaere ana koe ki te ʻura : Do you go to the dance?
E noʻo ana aia ki Nikao i tē reira tuātau : he used to live in Nikao at that time

Ka Refers prospectively to the commencement of an action or state. Often translatable as the English future tense or "going to" construction

Ka imene a Mere ākonei ite pō : Mary is going to sing later on tonight
Kua kite au ē ka riri a Tere : I know (or knew) that Tere will (or would) be angry

Kua translatable as the English simple past or present tense (with adjectives)

Kua kite mai koe ia mātou : You saw us
Kua meitaki koe ? : Are you better now?
Kua oti te tārekareka : the match is over now

Most of the preceding examples were taken from Cook Islands Maori Dictionary, by Jasper Buse with Raututi Taringa edited by Bruce Biggs and Rangi Moekaʻa, Auckland, 1995.

Possessives

Like most other Polynesian languages (Tahitian, New Zealand Māori, Hawaiian, Samoan, Tongan ...), Cook Islands Māori has two categories of possessives, "a" and "o".

Generally, the "a" category is used when the possessor has or had control over the initiation of the possessive relationship. Usually this means that the possessor is superior or dominant to what is owned, or that the possession is considered as alienable. The "o" category is used when the possessor has or had no control over the initiation of the relationship. This usually means that the possessor is subordinate or inferior to what is owned, or that the possession is considered to be inalienable.

The following list indicates the types of things in the different categories:

Te puaka a tērā vaʻine : the pig belonging to that woman;
ā Tere tamariki : Tere's children;
Kāre ā Tupe mā ika inapō : Tupe and the rest didn't get any fish last night
Tāku; Tāʻau; Tāna; Tā tāua; Tā māua…. : my, mine; your, yours; his, her, hers, our ours…
Ko tāku vaʻine tēia : This is my wife;
Ko tāna tāne tērā : That's her husband;
Tā kotou ʻapinga : your possession(s);
Tā Tare ʻapinga : Tērā possession(s);
Te ʻare o Tere : The house belonging to Tere;
ō Tere pare : Tere's hat;
Kāre ō Tina noʻo anga e noʻo ei : Tina hasn't got anywhere to sit;
Tōku; Tōʻou; Tōna; Tō tāua; Tō māua…: my, mine; your, yours; his, her, hers; our, ours …
Ko tōku ʻare tēia : This is my house;
I tōku manako, ka tika tāna : In my opinion, he'll be right;
Tēia tōku, tērā tōʻou : This is mine here, that's yours over there

Vocabulary

Dialectology

Although most words of the various dialects of Cook Islands Māori are identical, there are some differences.

Rarotonga Aitutaki Mangaia Ngāputoru Manihiki Tongareva English
tuatua ʻautara taratara araara vananga akaiti speak, speech
ʻānau ʻānau ʻānau fanau hanau family
kūmara kūʻara kūʻara kūmara kūmara kumala sweet potato
kāre kāʻore, ʻāʻore eʻi, ʻāore ʻāita, kāre kaua, kāre kore no, not
tātā kiriti tātā tātā tātā tata write
ʻura koni ʻura ʻingo, oriori, ʻura hupahupa kosaki dance
ʻakaipoipo ʻakaipoipo ʻāʻāipoipo ʻakaipoipo fakaipoipo selenga wedding
ʻīkoke koroio rakiki tūngāngā hikoke mokisi thin
ʻare ʻare ʻare ʻare fare hare house
maʻata ʻatupaka ngao nui, nunui, ranuinui kore reka polia big
matū, pete ngenengene pori poripori menemene suesue fat

Demographics

Place Cook Islands Māori-speaking population
Cook Islands 13,620
New Zealand 7,725
New South Wales 1,612[5]
Queensland 1,609[6]
Victoria 1,468[7]
Western Australia 308[8]
South Australia 63[8]
Australian Capital Territory 28[9]
Northern Territory 21[10]
Tasmania 10[11]

Sample text

Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Cook Islands Māori (Rarotongan):

Kua anau rangatira ia te tangata katoatoa ma te aiteite i te au tikaanga e te tu ngateitei tiratiratu. Kua ki ia ratou e te mero kimi ravenga e te akavangakau e kia akono tetai i tetai, i roto i te vaerua piri anga taeake.[12]

Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in English:

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Notes

  1. Rarotonga at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Tongareva (Penrhyn) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Rakahanga-Manihiki at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. "2013 Census ethnic group profiles".
  3. Nicholas, Sally Akevai (2018). "Language Contexts: Te Reo Māori o te Pae Tonga o te Kuki Airani also known as Southern Cook Islands Māori". Language Documentation and Description. 15. London: EL Publishing: 36–37. This practice conflicts with that of community members, who use the name Rarotongan to specifically refer to the variety spoken in Rarotonga. Non-Rarotongan Cook Islands Māori speakers can be offended by this conflation... Therefore, the name "Rarotongan" should be only be used to refer to the Rarotongan variety and never to Cook Islands Māori as a whole.
  4. "Te Reo Maori Act 2003" – via Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute.
  5. "Language spoken at home | Australia | Community profile". profile.id.com.au.
  6. "Language spoken at home | Australia | Community profile". profile.id.com.au.
  7. "Language spoken at home | Australia | Community profile". profile.id.com.au.
  8. "Language spoken at home | Australia | Community profile". profile.id.com.au.
  9. "Language spoken at home | Australia | Community profile". profile.id.com.au.
  10. "Language spoken at home | Australia | Community profile". profile.id.com.au.
  11. "Language spoken at home | Australia | Community profile". profile.id.com.au.
  12. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, Cook Islands. "AKAKITEANGA KI TE KATOATOA I TE AU TIKAANGA TANGATA" (PDF). Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (in Rarotongan).

Sources

Cook Islands Māori test of Wikipedia at Wikimedia Incubator