Utu: Finding a Balance for the Legal Maori Dictionary
Victoria University of Wellington Law Review, Vol. 42, No. 2, pp. 201-219, 2011
Victoria University of Wellington Legal Research Paper Series No. 14/2015
11 Pages Posted: 19 Sep 2014 Last revised: 18 Feb 2015
Date Written: November 1, 2011
Abstract
This article describes the authors' experience of attempting to confine the Maori word utu to a list of distinct, Western legal glosses. The article highlights the complexity involved in drafting a comprehensive legal dictionary entry for utu that achieves an appropriate balance between the traditional customary meanings and Western legal meanings. This examination provides insight into legal lexicography in contemporary New Zealand.
Keywords: legal lexicography, Maori language, Maori language and law, legal dictionaries, indigenous legal languages
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