Dirty silence

The book consists of twelve essays arising from the University of Waikato Winter Lecture Series of 1990. Their principal concern is with issues of language use in New Zealand. Since the lecture series itself was held during the country's sesquicentenary, its theme focused on the two languages at the very heart of current debate--te reo Maori and New Zealand English. The contributors include scholars and writers living and working in New Zealand who offer contrasting but complementary perspectives on the languages in question. The essays fall into two groups of six. The first of these concentrates on broadly linguistic aspects, with essays on the historical development of Maori and New Zealand English, contemporary issues affecting the linguistic character of both languages, and matters of political and social concern in their everyday use. The second group is more literary in focus, exploring oral and narrative traditions of early Pakeha writers on the one hand, and the contrasting traditions of Pakeha and Maori authors on the other. Voices to be heard in recent Pakeha poetry and Maori haka, ngeri, and waiata-a-ringa are considered in conclusion. This book should prove of interest to students and teachers at upper secondary and tertiary level, as well as general readers keen to expand their awareness of the rich and complex heritage of language in New Zealand.