MAORI PRONUNCIATION.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 9278, 2 December 1895, Page 4

MAORI PRONUNCIATION.

TO THE EDITOR Or THB PRESS. Sis,— This subject has recently brought ouc some rather instructive details concerning a language which has been pronounced by philologists to be well worthy of preservation. I notice with pleasure that " S.D " has taken up a quill in defence of proper pronunciation, and as far as my limited knowledge goes he appears to be well qualified for the work. Like " S.D." I, too, have been a year or two out here, and, although not qualified on a recent occasion to grace the photographer's window as a Canterbury Pilgrim, X happened to have completed my second decade in New Zealand previous to the arrival of those worthy personages. "S.D." in his laudable desire to prevent the cruel and continuous murder of names which, when properly prounounced, are as music to the ear, has given a very good idea of the sound of Maori words. With your permission, sir, I will endeavour to assist.

One good rule to follow is, never pronounce a syllable ending with ng, as for instance, Siuger, the Maori would be Si-nger. The ng occurs very frequently in the Maori vocabulary, and is the most difficult of pronunciation to the uninitiated pakeha.

Upon my arrival in Che Middle Island, twenty yeara ago, there were two things in particular which struck mc aa peculiar ; one was the' comparatively degenerate appearance of the aboriginals ; and some provincialisms in their language, soon however, I discovered the key, and that was the substitution of k for vg, ac Waitaki for Waitangi, ekare in place of engare, kaik for kainga, &c. Upon the occasion of the first appearance of the s.s. RotOin&hana at Lyttelton, it was amusing to hear the variety of odd appellations that poor boat had to carry. The nearest approach to the proper thing, so far as I could gather, sounded something like Rottenbanana. Again, the letter t is not> a clear English t, but nearer eh, produced by plaoing the tongue near the front of the palate. I am quite in accord with "S.D." regarding the barbarous substitutes for Maori proper names. I feel inclined at times, when passing the coach stand on the square, to plug my ears or bite my tongue, to prevent my giving expression to the feelings produced by that horrible yell of "Pappynewee." In order to save a probable breach of the peace, or to prevent, what is almost unavoidable, the use of somewhat emphatic language. I would like to help those "all aboard " gentlemen in this matter. Papanooe, the " a " as in hard is the correct thing for Papanui. The humour of "S.D." in concluding his interesting letter with the crippling word Turi-ngonge-ngonge may be appreciated by some, dug co do so without giviug some indication, as 1 have done above, of bow to .get the tongue round it might be attended with serious results.— Yours, dec., A.H.B.