Māori language: Difference between revisions
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The vowels ''a, e, i, o'' and ''u'' have [[phoneme|phonemic]] length. In older written and printed Māori, vowel length is not normally indicated. Nowadays, length is most commonly indicated by the macron: ''ā, ē, ī, ō, ū''. In some publications, especially those by people associated with [[University of Auckland|Auckland University]], length is indicated by doubling: ''aa, ee, ii, oo, uu''. | The vowels ''a, e, i, o'' and ''u'' have [[phoneme|phonemic]] length. In older written and printed Māori, vowel length is not normally indicated. Nowadays, length is most commonly indicated by the macron: ''ā, ē, ī, ō, ū''. In some publications, especially those by people associated with [[University of Auckland|Auckland University]], length is indicated by doubling: ''aa, ee, ii, oo, uu''. | ||
===Pronunciation=== | |||
====Vowels==== | |||
Many grammars state that Māori long vowels have the same quality as the corresponding short ones. This is true of '''e''' and '''o''', but many, probably most, Māori speakers differentiate the other vowels. | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
|- | |||
! vowel | |||
! short | |||
! long | |||
|- | |||
| <div style="text-align: center">'''a'''</div> | |||
| like '''u''' in NZE ''b'''u'''t''. A low central vowel, a little higher than the long sound, though the difference is slight | |||
| as in NZE ''p'''a'''ss''. A low central vowel, between the British Received and Standard American pronunciation of the '''a''' in ''p'''a'''ss'' | |||
|- | |||
| <div style="text-align: center">'''e'''</div> | |||
| as in NZE ''b'''e'''d''. Higher than the corresponding British vowel, but lower than the '''i''' in ''b'''i'''d'' | |||
| like the short vowel, lengthened. NZ/British '''''air''''' is similar, but the Māori vowel does not slide off into [[schwa]]. | |||
|- | |||
| <div style="text-align: center">'''i'''</div> | |||
| non-word-final as in NZE ''b'''i'''d''. Similar to '''i''' in German ''w'''i'''ssen''. Word final as '''ee''' in ''f'''ee'''t''. | |||
| as in ''mach'''i'''ne'' | |||
|- | |||
| <div style="text-align: center">'''o'''</div> | |||
| like '''au''' in NZ/British ''t'''au'''t'', but shorter. Higher than the corresponding American vowel. | |||
| like the short vowel, lengthened. Like '''au''' in NZ/British ''t'''au'''t''. Higher than the corresponding American vowel. | |||
|- | |||
| <div style="text-align: center">'''u'''</div> | |||
| non-word-final as in ''p'''u'''t''. Word-final as '''o''' in ''haird'''o''''' | |||
| like '''oo''' in ''z'''oo''''' | |||
|} | |||
===The syllable=== | |||
The syllabic pattern of Māori is (C)V(V)—a consonant followed by a pure vowel or a diphthong, or a pure vowel or diphthong without a preceding consonant. | The syllabic pattern of Māori is (C)V(V)—a consonant followed by a pure vowel or a diphthong, or a pure vowel or diphthong without a preceding consonant. | ||
Revision as of 21:50, 21 February 2010
| Māori | |
|---|---|
| Te Reo Māori | |
| Language family | Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Oceanic Polynesian Nuclear Polynesian Eastern Polynesian Tahitic |
| Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. See IPA chart for English for an English-based pronunciation key. | |
An Eastern Polynesian language of the indigenous Māori people of New Zealand (Aotearoa). Its closest relative is Cook Island Māori, which has particular affinities to the New Zealand Māori dialects of Northland and Taranaki, and the k-dialect of much of the South Island. It is part of the Tahitic subgroup of Eastern Polynesian. The extinct Moriori language of the Chatham Islands, east of mainland New Zealand, is a widely divergent dialect of Māori.
Phonology and alphabet
The letters of the Māori alphabet are, in order:
- a, e, h, i, k, m, n, ng, o, p, r, t, u, w, wh.
The digraphs ng and wh each represent single sounds, and are treated as distinct letters, so that ngaru is after noho, and whare after wiri alphabetically.
The vowels a, e, i, o and u have phonemic length. In older written and printed Māori, vowel length is not normally indicated. Nowadays, length is most commonly indicated by the macron: ā, ē, ī, ō, ū. In some publications, especially those by people associated with Auckland University, length is indicated by doubling: aa, ee, ii, oo, uu.
Pronunciation
Vowels
Many grammars state that Māori long vowels have the same quality as the corresponding short ones. This is true of e and o, but many, probably most, Māori speakers differentiate the other vowels.
| vowel | short | long |
|---|---|---|
a
|
like u in NZE but. A low central vowel, a little higher than the long sound, though the difference is slight | as in NZE pass. A low central vowel, between the British Received and Standard American pronunciation of the a in pass |
e
|
as in NZE bed. Higher than the corresponding British vowel, but lower than the i in bid | like the short vowel, lengthened. NZ/British air is similar, but the Māori vowel does not slide off into schwa. |
i
|
non-word-final as in NZE bid. Similar to i in German wissen. Word final as ee in feet. | as in machine |
o
|
like au in NZ/British taut, but shorter. Higher than the corresponding American vowel. | like the short vowel, lengthened. Like au in NZ/British taut. Higher than the corresponding American vowel. |
u
|
non-word-final as in put. Word-final as o in hairdo | like oo in zoo |
The syllable
The syllabic pattern of Māori is (C)V(V)—a consonant followed by a pure vowel or a diphthong, or a pure vowel or diphthong without a preceding consonant.
References
Ray Harlow: A Māori Reference Grammar, Longman, Auckland, 2001