Captain James Cook's first visit in 1769 to the islands that were to become
New Zealand initiated a process of change that is the focus of the first
section of this chapter—it was the first time words in
Mäori had been written down, and subsequently printed and
published. The second section also relates to how oral language changes and
is transformed into print. Together these sections define the two factors
unique to the print culture of Aotearoa New Zealand: Mäori language
print culture and New Zealand English.
The first section, 'From
Mäori oral traditions to print', reviews the impact on existing
Mäori oral culture of the imported print culture—one
impact in a period of profound social changes, and one to which
Mäori responded with enthusiasm. The section covers how the
language became codified, the publication of Mäori oral traditions,
Mäori use of writing and print in the 19th century, and an overview
of publishing in Mäori and by Mäori through to the present
day.
This approach to the
history of Mäori-European interaction from a print culture
perspective refers to a wide range of publications, and identifies a number
of important areas for further investigation and research. Detailed coverage
of specific aspects of Mäori language print culture (e.g.
newspapers, literacy programmes) are covered in the later chapters.
The second section 'New
Zealand English' describes the distinctiveness of and changes within our own
variety of the English language—as it appears in print, where it
responds more slowly to change than spoken New Zealand English. Current
lexicographical research is also described, in which a major milestone has
been reached in 1997 with the publication of Harry Orsman's long-awaited
historical dictionary.
