Is there a secular form of te reo Maori?
I ask that because I get the impression (after having started Mihipeka: Te Karanga a Te Kuia by Mihi Edwards) that the Maori language is inextricably intertwined with culture, custom, myth, tradition, ritual, and religion.
If I were young again and had a claim to Maori heritage, I suspect that this feature of the language would have an influence over whether or not I chose to steep myself in it.
To ask the question more bluntly, can one learn a language on its own, without the baggage that accompanies it?
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