Nga ahuantanga tauira : the comprehension of metaphors by younger Māori speakers

Abstract

This study investigates the changes of the Māori metaphors, a linguistic feature that is also known to reflect culture. Forty young native Māori speakers participated in this study. A questionnaire was used to gather insights on the language and culture change while a follow- up interview was done to elicit the motivations behind the change. The findings showed that young native Māori speakers have difficulty comprehending the Māori metaphors. Additionally, they understood the metaphors fairly differently from the older generation. Young Māoris’ comprehension of the metaphors was greatly influenced by English. For example, whatu ‘stone’ is understood as a metaphor that meant the ‘eye of the god’ by the older generation, whereas the young Māoris recognised it as the ‘eye of a drugger’ or ‘a high state of the mind from drugs’. The difference in conceptualising between the generations, therefore, revealed a shift towards the English society as traditional Māori culture viewed whatu ‘stone’ as a sacred object, not drugs. This language and cultural change is attributed to the young Māori’s lack of competency in their mother tongue because Māori was not viewed as a necessary language as it is neither practical or their identity marker.