by Jim Cable
New Zealand is an overwhelmingly English-speaking country.
Will someone please explain why these new signs are not in English followed by the Maori translation?
This sets a dangerous precedent for all signage and is an erosion of our rights and heritage.
In China would you see English followed by a Chinese translation?
In most countries you see the local language followed by the English translation, and this seems to be an international standard.
You can imagine the confusion this will cause among our residents whose first language is not English.
I intend to send an official information request to NZTA, and will keep you posted.
There is no Maori word for school. ‘Kura’ means learning and is the closest they could get using someone else’s letter symbols as they had no written lingo. So this is a case of a word changing in definition. You know like vaccine did recently.
Why does Kura mean?
‘Kura’ is most commonly used today to mean school. However, kura also means knowledge and the concept of knowledge. Other meanings of kura include: ornamental, treasure, red and glowing.
If you want to absorb the word “school” into Maori, how would you do it? No /s/ so scrub that, keep the /k/, keep the oo sound, change the /l/ to an /r/, add on a vowel at the end. Kura. Which is all quite valid. Languages do this kind of thing all the time.
The difference being that in New Zealand, it has been decreed that any words borrowed from English into Maori should be adapted to the phonology and cadences of the Maori language, whereas any words borrowed from Maori into English must remain intact, so we can’t even say Maoris or tuis now. It’s all about disempowerment really.
I dont speak maori so I ignore anything written so.
I guess that it just Cindy and her elite continuing to wreak the country. But at the same time Luxton and national are a bit of a worry
What a load of crap.