New Dictionary Of Maori Language By End of Next Year

Grey River Argus, 11 September 1948, Page 8

New Dictionary Of Maori Language By End of Next Year

P.A. WELLINGTON, Sept. 10. "Your work is of first rank importance to the country, and I wish you well”, said the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. P. Fraser, when he addressed the first meeting of the Maori Dictionary Revision Committee, which was held in Wellington yesterday, under the chairmanship of Sir Apirana Ngata, who is President of the Polynesian Society. It is proposed to revise the 1917 edition of the Williams Maori Dictionary, and to add to it some hundreds of words which have not previously been published. This work is now in progress, and it is hoped to have the volume ready for the printers by the end of next year. Subsequent work on the dictionary will involve considerable research into seven main dialects of the language, and a survey of English words that have been absorbed into the Maori tongue. The members of the committee are: Sir Apirana Ngata (Ruatoria), Messrs M. R. Jones (vice-chairman, Wellington), J. M. McEwen (secretary, Wellington), W. Cooper (North Auckland), Kongo Halbert (Gisborne), Rev. Raniera Kingi (Rotorua), Pei te H. Jones (Hawera), and H. Marumaru (Wanganui).