Sharon Holt - te Reo Maori


Pronunciation is very important - the foundation.

in Waikato, we can use double vowel instead of macron

When traveling try and say as many Maori names you see.

Make breaks after the vowel eg ta/ma/ri/ki

h,k, m, n, p, r, t, w, ng, wh

Ng - sounds like the end of sing
Wh - f sound
Use the ha ka ma song to practice the vowel sounds
Ta, te to - flat sound, teeth touching teeth, soft T

ti, tu more like English sounding t eg have a cup of tea for two

Practice a ha ka ma as much as possible


pronouncing vowels together:

Important to get pronunciation correct, especially for children's names.
Places mean something, they have a history, they were named for something, important to pronounce correctly well.
Respect people, language and culture.

Saying names of trees, birds - lots of schools and centres have these but don't pronounce correctly.
Koowhai
Kauri
Tootara

No macron stress goes on the double vowel




Comments