Popular language learning app is starting a Te Reo Māori course for beginners

Publish Date
Friday, 17 January 2020, 5:26PM
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One of the world's most popular translation and language learning apps are set to add Te Reo Māori to it's collection.

Duolingo has more than 300 million users around the world, with the most popular languages being English, Spanish or French.

And the app is set to add a little bit of New Zealand with the introduction of beginners Te Reo courses on the app!

Myra Awodey is leading the te reo Māori project at Duolingo, and says the course should be on the app by the end of they year!

"We do have a good plan kind of for the first 50 skills of the course, but there's still a long way to go before we have anything to release to the public," Awodey told RNZ.

"And we are still looking for more people to help us flesh out that curriculum."

Broadcaster and te reo Māori teacher Stacey Morrison, who is part of the team creating the Te Reo Māori course, said there were complications with adding the Māori language to an app.

"It's accessibility, it's a familiarity with how to access and language learning, but in terms of actual spiritual and the particular nature of te reo Māori, it does present some challenges in terms of designing our course.

"But I think expectation wise, we shouldn't go, okay, from this I'm going to get a real esoteric and holistic understanding of te reo Māori." she told RNZ

So pumped to give this a go! 

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