This is (sort of) New Zealand's national holiday.
Also Bob Marley's birthday (6-2-1945).
It's a lovely day. Over in the park they're celebrating both.
On TV we can see the annual doings from up at Waitangi (Bay of Islands),
the national dialogue about the Treaty of Waitangi (6-2-1840), the
nation's founding document. More fun than it sounds.

Crystal talks about the state of the Maori language. I would say it's in
better health than it has been at any time since I arrived here 51 years
ago. The new government (appeasing the grumpy minority who aren't happy
about this) is attempting some token push-backs in public usage (names
of government departments, road signs, etc.), but they won't get far.

He also notes lexical intercourse between English and Maori, and...but
what's this??! Among examples of Maori words (300 of them) now in OED,
he has "the greeting _aloha_"!!! Yes, it's in OED, but no, it's
Hawaiian. Probably confusion with the cognate word _aroha_ (n), "Chiefly
in Māori contexts: love, affection; warmth of feeling; an instance of
this" (OED). If you want a Maori greeting, it would be _kia ora_ (lit.
something like "be well"), also in OED.

On 2024-02-05 22:20:57 +0000, Ross Clark said:

> This is (sort of) New Zealand's national holiday.
> Also Bob Marley's birthday (6-2-1945).
> It's a lovely day. Over in the park they're celebrating both.
> On TV we can see the annual doings from up at Waitangi (Bay of
> Islands), the national dialogue about the Treaty of Waitangi
> (6-2-1840), the nation's founding document. More fun than it sounds.
>
> Crystal talks about the state of the Maori language. I would say it's
> in better health than it has been at any time since I arrived here 51
> years ago. The new government (appeasing the grumpy minority who aren't
> happy about this) is attempting some token push-backs in public usage
> (names of government departments, road signs, etc.), but they won't get
> far.
>
> He also notes lexical intercourse between English and Maori, and...but
> what's this??! Among examples of Maori words (300 of them) now in OED,
> he has "the greeting _aloha_"!!! Yes, it's in OED, but no, it's
> Hawaiian. Probably confusion with the cognate word _aroha_ (n),
> "Chiefly in Māori contexts: love, affection; warmth of feeling; an
> instance of this" (OED). If you want a Maori greeting, it would be _kia
> ora_

When I were a lad (in England) that was a brand of soft drink.

> (lit. something like "be well"), also in OED.

--
Athel cb

On 6/02/2024 8:52 p.m., Athel Cornish-Bowden wrote:
> On 2024-02-05 22:20:57 +0000, Ross Clark said:
>
>> This is (sort of) New Zealand's national holiday.
>> Also Bob Marley's birthday (6-2-1945).
>> It's a lovely day. Over in the park they're celebrating both.
>> On TV we can see the annual doings from up at Waitangi (Bay of
>> Islands), the national dialogue about the Treaty of Waitangi
>> (6-2-1840), the nation's founding document. More fun than it sounds.
>>
>> Crystal talks about the state of the Maori language. I would say it's
>> in better health than it has been at any time since I arrived here 51
>> years ago. The new government (appeasing the grumpy minority who
>> aren't happy about this) is attempting some token push-backs in public
>> usage (names of government departments, road signs, etc.), but they
>> won't get far.
>>
>> He also notes lexical intercourse between English and Maori, and...but
>> what's this??! Among examples of Maori words (300 of them) now in OED,
>> he has "the greeting _aloha_"!!! Yes, it's in OED, but no, it's
>> Hawaiian. Probably confusion with the cognate word _aroha_ (n),
>> "Chiefly in Māori contexts: love, affection; warmth of feeling; an
>> instance of this" (OED). If you want a Maori greeting, it would be
>> _kia ora_
>
> When I were a lad (in England) that was a brand of soft drink.

Yes! I've heard of it, but never seen it here. Apparently still made and
drunk in Ireland.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kia-Ora

Ar an séiú lá de mí Feabhra, scríobh Ross Clark:

> >> [...] Māori contexts: love, affection; warmth of feeling; an instance of
> >> this" (OED). If you want a Maori greeting, it would be _kia ora_
> >
> > When I were a lad (in England) that was a brand of soft drink.
>
> Yes! I've heard of it, but never seen it here. Apparently still made and
> drunk in Ireland.
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kia-Ora

I haven’t seen it in years, but of course I wasn’t looking. Will keep any eye
out for it and update you all if I see it.

--
‘As I sat looking up at the Guinness ad, I could never figure out /
How your man stayed up on the surfboard after fourteen pints of stout’
(C. Moore)