A MINI MAORI COURSE

Tu Tangata, Issue 1, 1 August 1981, Page 17

A MINI MAORI COURSE

John Foster

Part Three of our special pullout supplement

This concludes our mini Maori course, which has been designed as a concentrated summary of some of the main features of conversational Maori. The course offers no guidance on pronunciation, dialect variations or vocabulary. But it outlines the basic structures you need to know, and it offers models and examples from which you can form questions and sentences of your own.

For those of us who have learned in the past but need to brush up, or who are familiar with the sound of Maori but are unsure of the way that the language is put together, this course aims to provide a formal structure from which to develop.

But that development depends on commitment, imagination and practice. Once the vital sentence patterns have been mastered, your conversational Maori needs regular application. Practice with your friends, encourage native speakers to talk to you in Maori you’ll soon be making good progress.

If you missed earlier parts, which appeared in issues 4 and 5 of Te Kaea , copies are available from the address on page one at $1.25 each.

The two parts of the course that have already appeared in ‘Te Kaea ’ dealt with the basic structure of Maori; the sentence patterns essential for expressing most of what we would wish to say.

The questions and answers set out in section 12 enable us to start oral practice with fellow students or any Maori friend who is willing to help.

This final part covers a few additional points, to increase our understanding of practically the whole range of Maori, and our ability to form correct sentences.

In the last sections we have some commonly used words that will give flexibility of expression when we try Maori conversation. Most Maori speakers will be able to make up more examples based on any of the patterns included in this course, and so help you recognise what is said.

13. Verbs in Maori are remarkably regular. However, a few common verbs have a double form to indicate an action carried out more than once. Ka patu patu ia i te kuri = he (repeatedly) hit the dog Me taua = we had better stroll around Where an action is by its very nature repetitive its basic form is double. Me tahitahi nga ruma moe e korua = you (two) had better sweep the bed rooms This sentence illustrates one of the few other irregularities. Any verb used after the verb sign me is not given a passive ending, even if the sentence is in passive form (see 1.6). With any other verb sign tahia would be used in this sentence.

14.1 Many verbs start with whaka which usually means cause to be especially when the basic part of the verb is derived from an adjective. E whakatika(tika) ana nga kotiro i nga moenga = the girls are tidying the beds (“causing to be straight’’ tika = straight) Ka whakaora ia i a ratou = he will save (heal) them

14.2 If we consider these English sentences; I woke/ 1 woke my daughter I returned (to Taupo)/I returned his book it will be noted that the same verb form is used whether the action only concerns one person (intransitive) or involves some other person or thing (transitive). This is not the case in Maori and an intransitive verb is made into a transitive verb by using the prefix whaka. Then the sentence usually requires the transitive preposition i.

Ka oho ahau = I woke Ka whakaoho ahau / taku tamahine = I woke (caused to be awake) my daughter Ka hoki au (ki Taupo) = I returned (went back) to Taupo Ka whakahoki au i tana pukapuka = I returned (gave back) his book

15.2 The use of a word like mo enga ( = bed, sleeping place) raises the next point, which concerns how nouns may be made from verbs (verbal nouns). It is interesting to see that such useful words are formed by the addition of nga, tanga or hanga to a verb. tae = to arrive te taenga = the arrival haere = to go te haeranga = the journey puta =to appear (show te putanga = the apup) pearance (emergence) tangi = to cry (lament) te tangihanga = the lamentation patu = to hit te patunga = the blow (act of striking) Ite tatari te kuia ki te taenga mai a nga manuhiri - the old lady was awating the arrival of the guests He tino roa ta ratou haerenga = their journey was very long

15.2 A second form of verbal noun uses the active form of the verb, preceded by te, and refers directly to the action itself. te haere = (the) going, (the) motion te waiata = (the) singing te mahi = (the) work, (the) activity (He) tino tere te haere a te motuka o Paki = Paki’s car went very fast (literally “Very fast the going of Paki’s car’’) He mahi ahuareka te waiata = singing is a pleasant activity Ka pai nga tamariki ki te oma - the children are good at running (See also 3.1)

16.1 There is a small but frequently used group of words with the qualities of verbs which must be mentioned to save you from the risk of confusion later on. These are the neuter verbs.

Unlike an ordinary verb that has an active and passive form (1.5), these verbs never hqve a passive ending but are always passive in meaning; they therefore occupy a neutral position.

Common examples are: oti = completed; pau = used up, consumed; riro = obtained; motu = cut, severed; pakaru - broken, smashed. Kua mahue nga tamariki i te kaiwhakaako = the children have been left behind by the teacher Kua maringi te miraka i te ngeru = the milk has been spilt by the cat Note that after a neuter verb i is used to express by (not e ), and this could be mistaken for the transitive preposition (1.6).

16.2 To refer to some completed state or condition, an adjective can be used in the neuter verb sentence pattern shown above.

Ka ora ahau i tenei rongoa = I will be cured by this medicine

Kua maku katoa oku hu / te ua = my shoes are all wet (wetted) by the rain Ka mate ahau i te aroha = I will die of (by) love

17. In the section on question forms (12) it may have been noticed that in one or two cases the particle ai is used. This particle is not directly equivalent to a particular word in English but has a definite influence on the meaning of the sentence.

Ai is used where reference is made to the time, place, or circumstance of some action or event.

Its effect is to stress time or place in a similar way in which “thereupon”, “thereat”, “thereby” were used in old forms of English.

In the examples note that i is used with present and past time, and e with future time.

17.1 Ko Ngapuna te kainga i noho ai toku hoa = Ngapuna is the village where (at which) my friend lived

Ko tenei te wahi e whakaturia ai te wharekai hou = this is the place where (at which) the new dining hall will be erected

17.2 Ko te Turei te ra i hoki ai a Paki = Tuesday was the day when (on which) Paki returned

Ai also appears in useful sentences like these: 17.3 Me hoki taua ki toku whare, kai ai = we had better go back to my house, to eat (there)

17.4 I nga Ratapu haere ai a Manu ma kite whare karakia = On Sundays Manu and the others ( usually , on those days) go to church (/ = on, at —past time; A = on, at —future time.)

17.5 Mauria mai nga riwai kia kai ai matou = bring the potatoes so that we may eat (We shall eat thereby. This kia was mentioned in 10.2)

I have included these points, which go beyond the basic structure, to show that if you have begun to learn Maori there is a definite limit on the points you need to know. You may be assured that the language hides nothing vital or difficult that has not at least been mentioned in this course. The most important thing is to start to practice speaking Maori, and avoid becoming too entangled in written work. What is necessary is a training of the mind to speed up its response to Maori and to try to formulate replies.

18 Comparisons are made like this: He pai atu tenei / tena = this is bet ter than that He nui atu toku whare i tona whare = my house is bigger than his house

19 When

Ka karanga atu te kuia ka haere mai nga manuhiri = when the old lady calls (called) the guests will come (came)

20 While, as I a ia e moe ana ka oma te hoiho = while he was sleeping the horse ran off This also shows how people are described as being in a particular state or condition: I nga wahine e mate kai ana ka kai tonu te taurekareka = while the women were starving the rotten b kept on eating.

21 Until Me tatari korua kia tae mai to korua whaea = you (two) had better wait until your mother arrives (A different kia from those already mentioned.)

22.1 and Ka hoki ia ki Taupo, a ka awhinatia (ia) e ona hoa = he returned to Taupo and was helped by his friends (Once the subject in Maori is clearly understood, direct mention is often neglected.)

22.2 Mauria mai nga rihi me nga pereti hoki = bring the dishes and the plates as well (also)

22.3 Referring to people “and” is expressed by using the pronouns raua, ratou, and occasionally maua or matou. E mahi ana a Henare raua ko Mere = Henare and Mere are working E matakitaki ana a Hine ratou ko Paki ko Hera ko Tai = Hine, Paki, Hera and Tai are looking on Ka haere maua ko Ropata = Ropata and I will go

23 But Mau enei aporo engari maku nga arani = these apples are for you but the oranges are for me

24 Each Ka korero ahau ki ia tamaiti ki ia tamaiti = I will talk to each child

(Other repetitive forms, e.g., tena tena can be used to express “each”)

25 According to Taihoa te haere! Ki toku mama ehara tenei i te ra tika = Don’t go yet! According to my mum this is not the right day

26.1 If (still in doubt) Ki te mea ka hiahia a Mere kite haere kite taone ka haere hoki au or, Ki te hiahia a Mere kite haere kite taone ka haere hoki au = If Mere wants to go to town I will go as well (also go)

26.2 If {it had happened otherwise) Mehemea i haere ia kite taone ka hokona mai nga kai = If she had gone to town the food would have been bought

27. However He rangi tino pai tenei; heoi kahore matou e haere ana ki taitahi = this is a very nice day; however we are not going to the beach (Taitahi is one of a small group of “local nouns” including waho, roto, runga which are not preceded by te)

28 Even though, despite Ahakoa ko te Hatarei tenei ka mahi ke au = Even though this is Saturday I will work {ke implies contrary to expectation)

29 With (some tool or other “instrument”) Patua te poaka ki tau patu = Hit the pig with your club

30 And so, therefore E hoa ma! Ka mutu taku korero ki a koutou. Na reira ...haere ra! Friends! My talk to you is ended. And so ...goodbye!