The identity of language

It is the end of te wiki o te reo Māori – Māori language week.

Language is the key to identity and so it has often been subject to the politics of the day. There is debate about how natural the death of a language is, and research on the topic, but what is undeniable is that languages can be repressed in favour of another as a way to keep control.

English has been particularly successful. Carried on board ships it became the lingua franca of commerce for many and remains so today. Even in a place like Shetland, the dialect was not to be spoken in schools, replaced by English, and the movement to reinvigorate Shetlandic is relatively recent.

A living language is important to the identity of a people. Just as English is a source of pride to many across the globe through our own backgrounds, heritage and culture, so other languages are important to their communities. They provide security, and power, and they are used to entertain and educate, and to bring people together. In these times of change, when pride in and of the different identities that make up this country is growing, it is fantastic to have this week-long celebration for Aotearoa/ New Zealand. As the theme of this Māori language week says “Ake, ake, ake”!