de Bres, Julia, Holmes, J., Marra, Meredith and Vine, Bernadette. (2010) Kia ora matua: humour and the Māori language in the workplace. Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, Vol.20 (No.1). pp. 46-68. ISSN 0957-6851

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

Many aspects of the use of the Māori language are highly controversial in New Zealand, and humour is one way in which the sensitivities relating to the language can be negotiated in everyday workplace contexts. This article examines the use of the Māori language by Māori and Pākehā participants during humorous episodes at staff meetings in a Māori organisation in New Zealand. The episodes analysed include humour indirectly relating to the Māori language, where the language is not the topic of discussion but its use plays an important implicit role, as well as humour directly focussed on the Māori language, where use of the language is the explicit topic of the humour. Use of the Māori language in these episodes includes Māori greetings, pronunciation of Māori words, the use of Māori lexical items, more extended stretches of Māori, Māori discursive features, and lexical items in English with Māori cultural connotations. The Māori language is used in a humorous context by both Māori and Pākehā staff members, in similar and different ways. Humorous episodes using the Māori language appear to serve a range of functions, including releasing tension (e.g. relating to sensitive issues around the Māori language), marking ingroups and outgroups (and sometimes bonding between the two), referencing Māori cultural norms, and constructing Māori identity.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor H Social Sciences > HM Sociology P Language and Literature > P Philology. Linguistics P Language and Literature > PL Languages and literatures of Eastern Asia, Africa, Oceania
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Centre for Applied Linguistics
Journal or Publication Title:	Journal of Asian Pacific Communication
Publisher:	John Benjamins Publishing Co.
ISSN:	0957-6851
Date:	2010
Volume:	Vol.20
Number:	No.1
Number of Pages:	25
Page Range:	pp. 46-68
Identification Number:	10.1075/japc.20.1.03deb
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/48368

Request changes to a record

Actions (login required)

View Item