Grammar

The subject of grammar is too lengthy for discussion here. There is one point, however, that is often overlooked by Europeans who use a smattering of Maori to their own satisfaction. Maori and all the Polynesian dialects have three numbers for the pronouns; singular, dual, and plural. The usual Maori greeting of Tena hoe applies to one person, Tena korua page 80applies to two, and Tena koutou to more than two. Hence, it is just as ungrammatical to apply the plural Tena koutou to two persons as it is to one.