Talk:karaihe

This Maori word "karaihe" is given as the meaning of "grass" in the English section. Is this a misunderstanding, a misspelling? 67.44.209.42 19:14, 13 February 2021 (UTC)

Apparently this is a loanword from English, and "l" vs. "r" isn't a contrast that the Maori are very good at distinguishing. According to this online Maori Dictionary it's actually three different loanwords from English (there's "class", too) that sound and are spelled the same in Maori. That's par for the course, because Polynesian languages (especially Eastern Polynesian languages) are extremely simple, phonologically. English, on the other hand, is rather complex- especially when you factor in its convoluted linguistic history and inconsistent spelling. Chuck Entz (talk) 01:14, 14 February 2021 (UTC)