Revision Of Williams’s Maori Dictionary Is To Begin Soon

Wanganui Chronicle, 8 May 1948, Page 6

Revision Of Williams’s Maori Dictionary Is To Begin Soon

(0.C.) Wellington, May 7 Revision of Williams’ Maori dictionary, a major project ranking equal in importance to the Maori Bible, which has also been revised during the last year or so, it is to begin during the next few weeks, and a committee, with Sir Apirana Ngata as its head, has been invited to start preliminary work. It is expected the committee will take about two years before it completes its exacting task. The proposed committee, on which Wanganui has a representative, is as follows: Sir Apirana Ngata. Ruatoria; Mr. William Cooper, Department of Maori Affairs. Auckland; Mr. Raniera Kingi, Rotorua; Mr. Pei te H. Jones, Taumarunui; Mr M. R. Jones, private secretary to the Minister in Charge of Maori Affairs, Wellington; Mr. Rongo Halbert, Gisborne; Mr. Haeora Maruinans. Maori Land Court, Wanganui. Secretary to the committee will be Mr. J. M. McEwen, secretary to the Maori Purposes Fund Board, Wellington, and the official stenographer Mrs. J. Hilkie. also of Wellington. The committee will in all probability work in close co-operation with several, if not all, of the members of the Maori Bible revision committee, and will receive considerable help from both the Polynesian Society, which is sponsoring the committee through its president, Sir Apirana Ngata, and the Alexander Turnbull Library, which is in possession of several extremely valuable manuscripts concerning studies in the Maori language by a numebr of expert linguists. The first dictionary of the Maori language compiled by the late Rt. Reverend William Williams. Bishop of Waiapu, was in 1844, and subsequent editions appeared in 1856. 1871 and 1892. The last edition made its appearance in 1917, and was printed in England. It is this particular edition which is the most complete and authoritative Maori dictionary in exisence, and the hardest and. scarcest for students of the language to procure.

The 1917 edition was edited by the late Bishop H. W. Williams, a member of the same Waiapu family. Bishop Williams subsequently made various additions and corrections to that edition, and his notes are at present in the Turnbull Library. Bishop Williams and the late Archdeacon L. Williams were probably the greatest authorities on Maori linguistics that New Zealand has knovyn. The MSS of other Maori scholars, the late Elsdon Best, John White and T. W. Downes, also in the Turnbull Library, will be made available to the committee.

Another work of importance in which the Polynesian Society will figure, is in the production of a Maori "reader.” This publication will comprise various selections from the society’s journal by a number of contributing authorities on tribal history and legend. The publication will probably be made available to all Maori schools, and will be printed in both languages.