How many dialects of Maori are there?
A5. It is difficult to answer this question. Linguists generally state that there are 3 major dialect divisions: Eastern North Island, Western North Island, and South Island Maori (the latter currently has no native speakers). Within these divisions there is also regional variation, and within regions there is tribal variation. The major differences are in pronunciation of words, vocabulary, and idiom. A fluent speaker of Maori has no problem understanding other dialects of Maori. Older speakers of Maori are more likely to speak Maori identifiable with a particular dialect or region. My observations are that a considerable amount of dialect mixing is occurring amongst younger speakers, especially those living in urban areas. Regional variation is a more accurate term to describe the current differences in Maori. I don’t think the variation is sufficient enough to warrant the use of term ‘dialect’.
