MAORI NAMES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1365, 16 February 1912, Page 2

MAORI NAMES.

Sir,—Under "Local and General," in a recent issue of The Dominion, Ihrou occuis a paragraph on Maori pronunciation which conveys very incorrect and misleadiiig instruction's. For. instance, it runs:'"lt .is .quite common to hoar a person pronounce tii'e.'word YVaiii'gawa'as' 'Wine-gaWL'!-,' whereas it -should he pronounced 'Wy-na-wa.:'" And it goes on:' "The next Maori word to worry the public will be the Union .Company's new steamer Maunganui,,which is almost sure to b= pronounced ■.Mawng-anui' instead of 'U-m-na-mii.' It is tlie Native syllable 'nga,' which is such a stumbling-block to this correct speaking of many Maori wards. ]f people will-remember that it is pronoiinced like a short 'na,' the euphony of the word will be at onco revealed," etc.

Now, in the Maori language,, we have the word "na" (meaning of, or from), and also (lie words "nana" (look there),

"lisa" (the, plural article), "iigana" (to strive), "iiganga" (to be noisy), "ngangana" (to glow, reddish), etc. Obviously, if all of tlu-se words were pronounced as if the letter g were not present, it would lead lo endless contusion. In point of fact, each of these words is pronounced exnetly tis spelt, and the pronunciation differs' accordingly. "Na" produces an easy, open sound, while "nga"- is a gut-tural-nasal sound. Take .the well-known word "langi" (to weep, mourn); this should bo pronounced exactly as the English word, tongue, with the letter "y" suffixed, thus, tongey. Similarly, the word "tangata" (man) is pronounced e.\.actly u-s the. two English words conjoined thus tongue-utter. It should be spoken quickly, with no interval, and without dwelling on the final letter "r." Take the word ringa (hand), it is correctly pronounced by Europ?jn children when singing Ihejr: "Ring-a, ring-a rosic: Pop down posie.' . Again take the. word

"■raiijji" (sky). It is pronounced as the English word.run?, with "ry" suffixed, thus, "riingey." From (lies? examples, which cover the whole field, it wilt be observed that it is quite wrong to teach that in pronunciation "nga" must be converted lo "na."—l am, etc., NGA RANGINGANGANA.

Sir, —I was pleaded' to notice that, you hail drawn attention to the jnaiiy nii.-takes made.'in pronouncing Maori, place names. Jf one would only take the trouble 16 learn the. pronunciation of the Maori alphabet it. would help greatly. To pronounce . these names wrongly takes away both their beauty', and meaning. The word "nga" is, as you say, very difficult, and if not sounded exactly "na," but has a peculiar sound which must bo uttered in closely uniting the "n" to the "g" without allowing the tongue to touch the palate. See ".Maori Grammar,-by Ngata." -1 am, etc., PUPIL.