June 03, 2022
Normalising te reo will help Pacific languages
A Pacific studies expert says the normalising of te reo Māori will help other Pacific languages to survive in Aotearoa.
It’s Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa – Samoan Language Week, but Lemoa Henry Fesulua from the University of Auckland says each census shows a 4 per cent decline.
He says like te reo Māori, Samoan speakers face challenges passing on their language because of the dominance of English in the media and society.
If te reo was used, if te reo becomes normality it’s not going to be that far before Pacific languages and in the particular Samoan language, le gagana Samoa, be normalised and be safe to use in those spaces,” he says.