Indigenous Tweeting for Language Survival: The Maori-Language Profile

Abstract

Indigenous and minority language groups are increasingly embracing the power of web-based technology as they struggle to ensure the continued health and survival of their own languages. Māori, the indigenous race of New Zealand, are no exception. Initiatives involving the Microsoft Corporation, Moodle and Google Inc. have resulted in a range of localized interfaces now available in the Māori language. More recently, the Māori language has been made available on mobile devices, physical self-service machines and social media technology. This research investigates the development of online Māori-language communities using Twitter. The investigation was made possible by the information capture and trending functionality of the Indigenous Tweets website. It is evident that the development of vibrant online indigenous and minority language communities is underpinned by the ease in which the speakers are able to find each other amidst the sheer volume of global languages that dominate social media. It is also evident for te reo Māori that the bulk of Māori-language tweets arise from initiatives that seek to disseminate translated information rather than illicit interaction from other users. Whether or not this could be deemed suitable for developing online language communities is yet to be determined. However, some individuals were identified who were focused on engaging users in online conversations in te reo Māori.