Te Reo Kapekape: Māori Wit and Humour
Hona Black
Publishing on 1 September, a new book by scholar Hona Black lifts the curtain on all the humour, wit, innuendo and play that distinguishes everyday te reo Māori.
Te Reo Kapekape (literally, ‘the language of poking fun’) will make readers cry with laughter, engage in lively banter, and perhaps blush a little.
From calling a silly person a ‘roro hipi / sheep’s brain’, to telling them to get stuffed or suggesting they live amongst the dinosaurs (‘Ētahi mokoweri!’), this book has a witty saying or comeback for any situation.
Using a cast of characters and dramatised dialogue, Hona explains more than 130 phrases and gives examples and suggestions for use – whether to tease, crack a joke or just add some spice to the language.
The text is printed in te reo on the left-hand pages and English on the right, making it accessible to language learners, fluent speakers or general readers interested in Māori culture and language.
With this new publication, Hona aims to ‘reposition te reo kapekape as a language of every day again, in the hope that it is heard and that Māori can once again laugh through their own language.’
Te Reo Kapekape extends Oratia's language reference series, which includes Hona's first book, He Iti te Kupu: Māori Metaphors and Similes.
Publishing in time for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, Te Reo Kapekape offers plenty of ideas to have fun and spice up your language, while supporting the revitalisation of te reo Māori.
The author
Hona Black (Tūhoe, Te Whānau a Apanui, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) lectures on teaching for Māori medium schools at Te Pūtahi a Toi: School of Māori Knowledge at Massey University, Palmerston North. He has worked as the Senior Māori Adviser on Massey’s Wellington campus, and been Head of Te Reo Māori at Hato Pāora College in Feilding. Hona lives in Porirua with his partner and their baby son.
Publication: 1 September 2023 | ISBN: 978-1-99-004237-9 | RRP $39.99
Paperback, 210 x 148 mm portrait, 308 pages, b&w
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