MAORI DIALECTS

Hokitika Guardian, 15 June 1929, Page 6

MAORI DIALECTS

ADDRESS DY BISHOP DENNETT. " AVe have about eight variations in dialect throughout New Zealand, but when you know one you don’t have much difficulty in understanding the others.” said Disliop Dennett from 3A’A on Wednesday night. The variations in dialect are very much as they arc ' in English—North Country dialect, Yorkshire, Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, and others. It is mainly intonation and a few peculiar words. Here in the South Island, the greatest characteristic of the language is the dropping of the " ng ” sound common to all the dialects of the North Island,.and substituting a "k” in its place. For instance, the common term "kainga,” meaning a village or home. Here in the south, it is called "kaikn.” and by the pakcha it is contracted into tlrn word " kaik.” “ Tangata ” (a man) is in tlie South Island dialect Takata. Tangi (to wail) is licre called “taki.” They have no "ng ” sound at all. The South Island dialect sounds quite peculiar to those of the North. It sounds like a man suffering from a heavy cold in the bead. Oi course, these South Island people are a good deal nearer the Pole than the northern tribes. Probably that accounts for it. They get more colds down here.

May 1 say just a word about pronunciation. You all know bow musical the Maori language is to listen to. That.is due to the fact that the five vowels —a, e, i, o, u—have a soft musical sound. Ilf you know Italian, or French, or the modern pronunciation of Latin, then you cannot go far wrong if you. adopt the same pronunciation in Alaori. Generally speaking, there is no variation in these vowel sounds, except lengthening or. shortening—ariki (n lord), awhira, to help. Disliop Dennett asked his hearers to repeat the vowels niter him. and then assured them that they were in a Hair way to the correct pronunciation ol Maori.