HISTORY AND LANGUAGE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 63, 7 December 1937, Page 6

HISTORY AND LANGUAGE

Faanous Maori Dictionary Compiled A scholar of ' distinetion Bishop Herbert Williams gave New Zealand ' a masterly dictionary of • the Maori language and also contributed much to tho historical knowledge of .this country. His "Dictionary of the New Zealand Language" led to his .being made a doctor of literature at Cambridge Uni« versity. The dictionary ' was the work of the three generations of the Williams family. The first edition was written by Bishop William Williams, first Bishop. of Waiapu at Paihia in 1844, and the" second1 edition was written by Bishop' William Williams' son, Bishop W. L. Williams, in 1867, who was also Tesponsible for the fourth edition in 1892". ' * / ; The work then passed over to the late Bishop of Waiapu1 and was published in 1917, when he was ari archdeacon residing in Gisborne, . anql he was also responsible for the iatest edition, which is hardly. likely to bo superseded, for it contains many thousands of new words, and is a large close-ly-printed book of 589 pages, which were compiled after many yeaTS,' study and research. > The late "Bishop Williams was k 'member of the . Maori Purposes "Board. His research and writings on " Maori history have been extensive , and na was also an. entbusiastic" member of the Polynesian Society.