Maori, the indigenous language of New Zealand, is an endangered, minority language, with an important role in the culture and identity of the Maori community. This comprehensive overview looks at all aspects of the Maori language: its history, its dialects, its sounds and grammar, its current status and the efforts being made by the Maori community and the state to ensure its survival. Central chapters provide an overall sketch of the structure of Maori while highlighting those aspects which have been the subject of detailed linguistic analysis - particularly phonology (sound structure) and morphology (word structure). Though addressed primarily to those with some knowledge of linguistics, this book describes a language with a wealth of interesting features. It will interest anyone wishing to study the structure of a minority language, in fields as diverse as typology, sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology, as well as all those interested in endangered languages and their preservation.

Maori, the indigenous language of New Zealand, is an endangered, minority language, with an important role in the culture and identity of the Maori community. This comprehensive overview looks at all aspects of the Maori language: its history, its dialects, its sounds and grammar, its current status and the efforts being made by the Maori community and the state to ensure its survival. Central chapters provide an overall sketch of the structure of Maori while highlighting those aspects which have been the subject of detailed linguistic analysis - particularly phonology (sound structure) and morphology (word structure). Though addressed primarily to those with some knowledge of linguistics, this book describes a language with a wealth of interesting features. It will interest anyone wishing to study the structure of a minority language, in fields as diverse as typology, sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology, as well as all those interested in endangered languages and their preservation.

Based on a third-year university course Ray Harlow taught for a number of years, this grammar reference book is intended for people whose knowledge of M?ori is at that level or higher - advanced learners, native speakers and teachers of M?ori. The book provides explanations and examples of all the important sentence types of modern M?ori. It guides readers progressively from the simple to the more complicated, starting with words and particles, proceeding through simple clauses and sentences to transformations ofthese and to complex sentences with elaborate internal structure.