MAORI PLACE NAMES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 22, 27 January 1937, Page 6

MAORI PLACE NAMES.

It was quite a treat to read Dr. Moore's letter on Saturday, for he deals with Maori pronunciation in an eminently practical way. instead of indulging in the wild assertion* favoured by other writers. It seems to me to boil down to this, that many people, sucli as "Koro-Heke," think that the missionaries "did not meet with much success" in putting tie spoken Maori into written English, whereas my experience is that they were far more successful in making it phonetic than were any others. Take our own English capital. which has the "u" sound to represent each "o." while the Scottish capital is worse, having four syllables and only three vowels, and if anyone wants the limit let him try to pronounce Llanelly before he goes to Wales. Being learned men, the missionaries and their friends chose the Latin vowels as the nearest they could get to the Maori vowel sounds. It would be easier to accept the word of "Korero-Maori" that he can pronounce Xgo-ngo-ta-ha correctly if he did not weaken his assertion by disputing my statement that the Maori can only pronounce "ng" before a vowel, and adding that "iie can wherever it occurs in his language. To say otherwise is ridiculous." Let him prove it by naming any place in Xew Zealand where the Maori "ng" is anywhere but before a vowel, and any English word which has "ng" anywhere but after a vowel. However, it would take more than a column to reply to the inaccuracies of "Koro-Heke" and "KoferoMaori." so I will merely add that I have no occasion to admit any* modification of hit previous suggestions whereby local residents and visitors can easily pronounce Maori names if they follow the spelling, with very little accent, and the "emphasis"' that "KoreroMaori" mentions on the ISth does not enter into the subject at all. Those who require, illustrations of my contention should read the detailed pronunciations given by Mr. James Cowan in the "Star" supplement every week. for I have not noticed a single mistake in them, nor in Dr. Moore's constructive letter, so they effectively dispose of the needless confusion introduced bv vonr other correspondents. " " LISTEXER.

The letters in this column are most illuminating; some are amusing. If the pakeha who gives Maori names to children tests, them the fact may be established that many have names they cannot utter properly. Ngahere calls herself Nahere: Ngaio is Naio. and so on. Even after repeated drill in "Good morning. iNahere.*' this happens. Trv it. If we would only learn the vowel values, and them only, we should rediuo confusion bv more than nine-tenths. Perhaps "A.H.M.8." will animadvert, however, on their short and long use. altering his "o" as in Tom to '<>"* a* in obey. e.g.. not Rot-orua but Ro-to-ru-a.

E. GREEXSMITH (Native Teacher)