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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 9, Issue 3 (June 1, 1934.)

English and Maori

English and Maori.

There are certain rather curious likenesses between English and Maori words, not only in appearance but in meaning, which must have been observed by those who have studied the native language. There is, “pure,” for example. The Maori word is an expression signifying a rite in which a sacred fire was kindled and prayers were repeated for the purpose of freeing a person or a place from the ban of tapu. Literally it means to purify or to cleanse from dangerous spells or to restore a person to health. So it has practically the same significance as the English word pure.

Another word in this category is “pata” or “patapata.” It means to patter, as raindrops, and also refers to the ripple of little waves on a beach. Yet another is “korihi,” which is the word applied to the morning chorus of the bellbird and tui, and other birds, in the bush. The place name Manukorihi means “Bird Chorus.

Then there is “Kotikoti” meaning to cut, “Ta” is to tap, touch, “Tari,” in one sense, means to wait, to tarry. There is also such a word as “Papa,” father, but that of course is common to many lands. It would be too much to say, perhaps, that the various words mentioned have all come from the one source, but the resemblance all the same is one of the remarkably interesting features of the Maori tongue.