KORERO MAORI

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 58, 4 September 1939, Page 6

KORERO MAORI

PRONUNCITAION DIFFICULTIES _ I MUTILATIONS SHOULD BE AVOIDED (Contributed) It seems that it is almost too late to save the Maori language from mispronunciation,. Many of the younger Maoris cannot speak their own language. Many of the older imitate the mispronunciation of their pakeha bre thren. It is doubtful whether any early settler quite mastered the Maori vowel. The first missionaries, who converted Maori speech into written language, had difficulty with the vowel. The Maori for instance has no exact equivalent in •9 the English alphabet. It is shorter and sharper and has none of the "w'' sound that we find in the English u o." Rangitoto is not "Rankitowtow"; it is more "Rungitortor,'» but not quite. Nevertheless the Maori "u" is never "yotji/' but always 'oo,' as in "moo." Why must everybody say "Rem-you.air-ruh" and "Ma-noo-ree-vvuh," wlien "Ray-moo.or-rer'" and "Ma-nocjLrewwer"' are so much more euphonic and much morenearly correct? The Maori "ng" has always been a stumbling block 1;o the uninitiated. It is never pronounced as in "angel' ? or "anger," but always as in, "hanging."' So why say "Wong-gurr-ree'* when it is "Fon4'_r-ray''? As nearly everj' Maori place Iname in habitually misused, even by those who know better it seems late to remedy the fault. Yet correct Maori is full toned, liquid and beautiful. Preserved with its fiill tone values it would materially enrich our own tongue and serve to corrcct the unpleasant accent which mars the speech of the rising and already risen generations. TEACHING OF MAORI It would be an excellent idea if the teaching of Maori were made compulsory in all our schools. Apart from the benefit to our own language such teaching would assist people 'to understanc] the speech and place names of all people -having a Polynesian origin. The evidence available supports the proposition that Maori prescifves the purity of this ancient language to a greater degree than do the other Polynesian dialects. The Maori tongue is free from the elisions that mark the speech of the Sainoan, Hawaiian, Tahitian and others. The Tahitian, for instance, drops the Maori "It"' and "ng," but not entirely, for there is a break in the -voice where the i Maori consonant is elided. The Maori "maunga" becames the Tahitian "mau'a, '* there being a pause between the "mau" and the "a/' demonstrating that [the "ng'' was formerly used. This | applies with uniform regularity throughout the two languages: "tangata" becomes "taata T ' and "ika" becomes f i'a.' Wher-

ever a Maori uses a "k* or an "eg'" a Tahitian omits it, with a momerv tary hesitation, as if ashamed of his . laziness. CAUSE OF ELISIONS. - It is not improbable that these ions are the result of some para.* mount chief having had an impedi-4 - ment in his speech—a roofless mouth perhaps. If the head man spoke defectively it would be in keeping with Polynesian idea? of tapu that air his subjects should follow, the royal ample. If this is the fact, then tin? event occurred after the Maori hacL r migrated to New Zealand s but before* the Hawaiian left Tahitian . For the Hawaiians also elide the Maori "k'' and do not use the Maori though, in some strange way, they have recovered a 'k' by convert ing the Maori "t" into a M k" and, in , place of "ng" they now use the move easily pronounced "n. Hence Maori "Hawaiki™ becomes "Hawaii/' *koe'""' becomes "oe'' and "Waititi'* becomes "Waikiki." The Hawaiian also ges the Maori "r' s into an "1." Thus Ra.ngitoto changes to "Lanikoko, ** " -Tiroukea to "Kilau'ea V and Maungatea to "Maunakea." The Albatross in Maori is "toroa,"' in Hawaiian "koloa":' in Maori "inland''' is % ki uta,'' in Hawaiian it is "mauka 1 "; in Maori "shorewise", is "kitai/' in Haw- - aiian "i kai,"' or "makai.'* And so it goes on. The Maoris would call the Malolo the "Maroro." We have recently had explained" to us tlie meaning of the Hawaiian word "ukulele'' (flying insect). Trans lated into Maori ukulele becomes "kuturcre.'' Long ago Polynesian students knew the meaning of this word but were at a loss to understand how the musical instrument acquired its name. An American in Hawaii sa<d that fleas arid ukuleles are much the same thing—both dashed pests. Nevertheless the ukulele, at the right time and* place, has its charm. Is there any charm about a, flea at any time or in any place?

INTERESTING STUDY. The teaching of Maori in our schools by competent Maori teachers woukl stimulate interest in philology* find ethnology and, in particular, with relation to Pacific peoples. few examples -just given show how very interesting a stud> r it is-to follow the interchange of consonants ftotween the different dialects. When : t is borne in mind = that there are hundreds of such dialects scattered over the face of the Pacific Ocean one can "realise that here spreads ft splendid field for scientific researchand exploration which must add much valuable data to the fund of human .knowledge; a field of mentalactivity which has been only too 'sadly neglected by an over-commer-cial iscd people. Had earlier and more earnest attention been given to the study of the native peoples of tilie--Pacific their language and culture,, many of the injustices, that havebeen perpetrated to our discredit, upon a generous and delightful permitted.