This may sound like an attempt to slaughter the sacred cow but it is a genuine attempt to discuss changes in pronunciation and the new phrases that familiarize us with a particular ideology.
This week I was fairly shocked to hear Pacifica communities and people referred to as PAAcifica, emphasis on the first syllable, rather than the traditional PacifiCAA. It sounded alien and was not what I expected to hear so I rewound the TV and found I was not mistaken. Both TV1 and TV3 news coverage of the latest Auckland COVID cluster had the same new pronunciation of PAAcifica. Pacific – PacificA and now PAAcifica.
I was reminded of recent changes in Maori pronunciation. Waitemata (no emphasis on any syllable) is now WaitemaTAA (emphasis on the last syllable, also drawn out). Another example is replacing “w” with “wh” pronounced “f”.
In 2015 Whanganui replaced the original spelling of Wanganui. The change was introduced gradually, initially suggested as optional spelling but five years later Wanganui has disappeared, replaced by Whanganui, pronounced Fonganui.
Who is changing the way we speak and why? I expected the Te Reo website to provide a clue to the Maori aspect.
“Learning te reo Maori helps students to grow as learners. They discover more ways of learning, more ways of knowing, and more about their own capabilities. They may become more reflective as they compare what they know of their first language with what they are learning in te reo Maori. They ask questions and challenge themselves. They learn how to learn. Studies show that students who speak more than one language perform, in a number of ways, at higher levels than those who speak only one.”
Besides being fairly incomprehensible any benefits could apply to a wide variety of pastimes such as reading the bible, learning Japanese or taking up Pilates, although I accept there are benefits for Maori wanting to connect with their heritage through learning te reo, or anyone wanting to connect with Maori culture. Good on them! Go for it.
But what benefit is there in constantly changing Maori pronunciation for anyone with less than a passing interest in the language? Truth is, the constant annoying changes are more of a disincentive when you are not of a mind to learn the language – and it’s annoying when a town I grew up with, Taupo, is now Toopo – more suitable for a circus clown than a beautiful lake town. Besides, haven’t we got more important things to do?
Coincidentally this week I heard Jordan Peterson discussing the rise of neo-Marxism saying that minority groups subtly change language as a way of gaining control of society, or a part of it.
Peterson says a very well organised minority (even if the majority opposes them) can have an unbelievably pernicious effect if allowed to continue unchallenged.
Collectively, we are a mad bunch of people who achieve at different levels (my words, not Petersons). “Some people have never done anything productive with even a second of their life” says Peterson, choosing the Ukraine to demonstrate the effects of neo-Marxism.
Communist intellectuals bolstered the confidence of Ukrainian non-achievers by telling them they absolutely deserved the same rewards as those enjoyed by the minority of hyper-productive successful people. In fact, says Peterson, they were told that the spoils of success were rightly theirs – stolen by the wealthy – and they were “morally obligated to take it back”. Resentment turned into violence, the Ukraine breadbasket was destroyed (Ukraine could not even feed itself) and millions starved to death.
The subtle mind shift that inspired the Ukrainian proletariat to help themselves to what they had not earned began with learning the language of entitlement that became entitlement thinking. Those who change our language do it to make us comfortable with their ideology.
During COVID we heard “be kind”, “stay home, save lives” and “test, test, test” all phrases to emphasize national or group health over the rights or proclivity of the individual. The collective outranks the rights of the individual in socialist/Marxist thinking, which is actually not true when the health of the community is only as good as the health of its individual members.
Repressing the bright stars and shining lights who forge breakthroughs in their fields of choice is the next step. Equality is promised (even though it is unachievable) and worse, without personal reward for high achievement society is reduced to the lowest common denominator. These are the bottom dwellers who leech off everyone else. Empowered by language and emboldened by entitlement, non-contributors will take by force the spoils they did not earn.
People motivated to succeed on their own merit will work very hard indeed to achieve their goals. Without them the economy will fall over, demonstrated by the recent demise of hospitality and tourism when the sector was forced out of business by a government hell-bent on ostensibly protecting our collective health (while failing to protect the border anyway).
Equality cannot be legislated. The government can pass laws to protect the lazy, the corrupt and the greedy, and feed and house their children, but it cannot change them.
We are not obligated to accept language changes inflicted by a sector, or a government with a decidedly neo-Marxist slant that does not have our best interests at heart.
If you enjoyed this BFD article please consider sharing it with your friends.