Cook Islands Māori

Cook Islands Māori is an Eastern Polynesian language that is the official language of the Cook Islands. Cook Islands Māori is closely related to, but distinct from, New Zealand Māori. Cook Islands Māori is called just Māori when there is no need to distinguish it from New Zealand Māori. It is also known as Māori Kūki ʻĀirani (or Maori Kuki Airani), or as Rarotongan. Many Cook Islanders also call it Te reo Ipukarea, which translates as "the language of the ancestral homeland".

English is the official language of the Cook Islands. Cook Islands Māori became an official language of the Cook Islands in 2003 as defined by the Te Reo Maori Act 2003.

The Te Reo Maori Act 2003 states that Māori:

There is a debate about the standardisation of the writing system. Although usage of the macron (־) makarona and the glottal stop (ʻ) amata is recommended, most speakers do not use them in everyday writing. The Cook Islands Māori Revised New Testament uses a standardised orthography that includes the ʻokina and macron.

Cook Islands Māori is an isolating language with very little morphology. Case is marked by the particle that initiates a noun phrase, and like most East Polynesian languages, Cook Islands Māori has nominative-accusative case marking.

The unmarked constituent order is predicate initial: that is, verb initial in verbal sentences and nominal-predicate initial in non-verbal sentences.

1. you -2 or more- and I
2. they and I

Most of the preceding examples were taken from Cook Islands Maori Dictionary, by Jasper Buse with Raututi Taringa edited by Bruce Biggs and Rangi Moekaʻa, Auckland, 1995.

Like most other Polynesian languages (Tahitian, New Zealand Māori, Hawaiian, Samoan, Tongan ...), Cook Islands Māori has two categories of possessives, "a" and "o".

Generally, the "a" category is used when the possessor has or had control over the initiation of the possessive relationship. Usually this means that the possessor is superior or dominant to what is owned, or that the possession is considered as alienable. The "o" category is used when the possessor has or had no control over the initiation of the relationship. This usually means that the possessor is subordinate or inferior to what is owned, or that the possession is considered to be inalienable.

The following list indicates the types of things in the different categories:

• a is used in speaking of
  • Movable property, instruments,
  • Food and drink,
  • Husband, wife, children, grandchildren, girlfriend, boyfriend,
  • Animals and pets, (except for horses)
  • People in an inferior position

Te puaka a tērā vaʻine : the pig belonging to that woman;

ā Tere tamariki : Tere's children;

Kāre ā Tupe mā ika inapō : Tupe and the rest didn't get any fish last night

Tāku; Tāʻau; Tāna; Tā tāua; Tā māua…. : my, mine; your, yours; his, her, hers, our ours…

Ko tāku vaʻine tēia : This is my wife;

Ko tāna tāne tērā : That's her husband;

Tā kotou ʻapinga : your possession(s);

Tā Tare ʻapinga : Tērā possession(s);

• o is used in speaking of
  • Parts of anything
  • Feelings
  • Buildings and transport (including horses)
  • Clothes
  • Parents or other relatives (not husband, wife, children...)
  • Superiors

Te ʻare o Tere : The house belonging to Tere;

ō Tere pare : Tere's hat;

Kāre ō Tina noʻo anga e noʻo ei : Tina hasn't got anywhere to sit;

Tōku; Tōʻou; Tōna; Tō tāua; Tō māua…: my, mine ; your, yours; his, her, hers; our, ours …

Ko tōku ʻare tēia : This is my house;

I tōku manako, ka tika tāna : In my opinion, he'll be right;

Tēia tōku, tērā tōʻou : This is mine here, that's yours over there

• Pia : Polynesian arrowroot
• Kata : laugh at; laughter;
  • kata ʻāviri : ridicule, jeer, mock
• Tanu : to plant, cultivate land
• ʻangaʻanga : work, job
• Pōpongi : morning
• Tātāpaka : a kind of breadfruit pudding
• ʻura : dance, to dance
• Tuātau : time, period, season;
  • ē tuātau ʻua atu : forever
• ʻīmene : to sing, song
• Riri : be angry with (ki)
• Tārekareka : entertain, amuse, match, game, play game

Although most words of the various dialects of Cook Islands Māori are identical, there are some differences: