TraditionalMāori poetry was always sung or chanted,[1]musical rhythms rather than linguistic devices served to distinguish it fromprose. There is a large store of traditional chants and songs.[2]Rhyme orassonance were not devices used by theMāori; only when a given text is sung or chanted will themetre become apparent. The lines are indicated by features of themusic. The language ofpoetry tends to differ stylistically from prose. Typical features ofpoetic diction are the use of synonyms or contrastive opposites, and the repetition of key words. As with poetry in other languages: "Archaic words are common, including many which have lost any specific meaning and acquired a religious mystique. Abbreviated, sometimes cryptic utterances and the use of certain grammatical constructions not found in prose are also common" (Biggs 1966:447–448).
 |
 | This article related to the Māori people of New Zealand is astub. You can help Wikipedia byadding missing information. |
