In early 2006 New Zealand became the first country to declare sign language as an official language. What Language Do They Speak in New Zealand? The Maori language, te reo Maori, is spoken fluently by around 3.6% of the New Zealand population (2013 Census).
Many of the local flora, fauna and place names officially take their Maori name. Construction and Infrastructure Skill Shortage List, Investor 2 Category - Visa Application Process. Read more: English Language Requirements for Migrants. Many Māori words have found their way in every day English, such as Kia ora (greeting), whānau (family) or tamariki (children).
Maori words are regularly incorporated into New Zealand English. In the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, Queen Victoria gave her word to the Māori that their language would be protected. Unlike Canada, Australia has no concentration of a European language other than English within its borders. In 2010, a newspaper in NZ said that New Zealand was the 8th happiest country in the world. The second most common language is Maori, spoken by 4.1 per cent of the population. English is spoken by 96.1 percent of the population. It is the main language spoken in parliament, the courts, and the … The New Zealand accent can be difficult to understand, even for speakers of the English language. Book the best English course in New Zealand on Language International: Read student reviews and compare prices for 310 courses at English schools in New Zealand… the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes – such as liquefaction (the silty deposit from underground), CERA (the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority) and munted (broken). The diversity of the New Zealand population also means that many languages coexist within minorities, including Samoan, Hindi, Chinese, French, etc. "I am not aware of English being under threat. Of course, English should be listed as an official language. Victoria University professor of linguistics Miriam Meyerhoff said it was "a bit of a paradox" that English was not legally recognised as an official language. Sign language is used by 24,090 people. To learn how to pronounce Maori words, such as place names around New Zealand, see our Traveller’s Guide to the Maori Language: te reo Maori. [See Quintessa Sullivan’s contention on that point in the comments below.
English has remained a de-facto official language since then. For a more complete list of New Zealand slang words, see Talk like a New Zealander / Talk like a Kiwi. It's [been] more about protecting the indigenous languages.". Here are just a few samples of specific words used in daily life in New Zealand: How's it going mate? The official languages are English, Māori and New Zealand sign language.