LET'S LEARN MAORI

New Zealand Listener, Volume 30, Issue 778, 18 June 1954, Page 25

LET'S LEARN MAORI

[HE next set of Lessons in Maori (Nos. 432 20 +15) ~ ‘te summarised here. This weekly _ series, Prepared for the NZBS Talks Department by W. T. -Négata,

ot the Department of Maori Affairs, has already started at 1YZ. It will begin at 2YZ on June 21, 1YA on June 28, and 2YA on July 26. (Listeners should keep this and succeeding panels for reference.) (Lesson 11.) Some nouns in Maori have one vowel lengthened in the plural, e.g., singular, ma-tua (first vowel. short, parents), tupuna (ancestor), ta-ngata (man), wa-hine (woman); plural, ma:tua (long vowel, parents), tu:puna (ancestors), ta:ngata (men), wa:hine (women). The short "a"-is shown here thus, "a-" and the long "a" as."ar’? (Lesson 12.) Further list of nouns: Singular, tua-hine (sister) tua-kana (brother), tei-na (younger brother or sister); plural, tua:hine (sisters), tua-kana (brothers), tei:na’ (younger brothers or sisters). (Lesson 13.) Summary of rules for formation of the number of the noun: (a) definitive method, te tepu (singular) the table; nga tepu (plural) the _ tables; (b) lengthening vowel, te ta-ngata (singular) the man, nga ta:ngata (plural) the men; (c) te tamaiti (singular) the child, nga tamariki (plural) the children. *(Lesson 14.) The possessive particles ta and to are the equivalent in Maori of the apostrophe s (s), e.g., ta Hoani-John’s, or to Hoani-John’s (singular forms), a Hoani (plural of ta Hoani), o Hoani (plural of to Hoani). (Lesson 15.) Personal pronouns: Singular-Ahau or Au (1), koe (you), ia (he or she); dual, taua (you and I), maua (he and 1), korua (you two), raua (they two); plural, tatou (you and I), matou (they and 1), koutou (you), ratou (they).