Ko te tukanga e mārama haere ai te tangata ki tōna reo, e puta ai taua reo i tōna waha, e whakairohia ai ki tōna whatumanawa hei tuakiri mōna. He āhuatanga māori te hopu reo, ā, ko te tikanga, ka tutuki tētahi wāhanga nui o te hopu reo i te wā e kōhungahunga ana, i runga i te makurutanga o te taiao reo e tipu nei ia.
The process by which a person comes to understand their language, produce language for themselves and become socialised into the identity surrounding that language. Language acquisition occurs naturally, is largely realised in childhood, and is dependent on the richness of the language environment they grow up in.