ABSTRACT
Language is both a part of culture and a vital expression of it. For Maoris the Maori language is one of the pillars ( pou ) of Maoritanga, but only a minority speak it as a mother tongue. Except for a few of the very old, virtually all Maoris speak English. Far from being an alien language, English has long since become an integral part of contemporary Maori culture, and considerably modified in the process. ‘It is probably true to say that most Maoris today are bilingual, somewhere along the line between complete competence in both languages and total ignorance of one or the other’ (Biggs in Schwimmer, 1968: 82).
