Master the pronunciation of te reo Māori by practising your pepeha!
Pronunciation is a crucial component of learning a language. Practice your short and long vowel sounds while rehearsing your pepeha.
Test yourself by creating a kupu/vocab list from this course so far, and try spelling as many of the words as possible. Pay special attention to those long vowel sounds and note the tohutō (macrons) as best you can.
Mark it with your kaiako and see how well you did.
Practice some words from your pepeha with short vowel sounds e.g. maunga, awa, moana and rangatira.
Practice some words from your pepeha with long vowel sounds, e.g. tōku, kāinga, māmā, pāpā, whānau and Pākehā.
Practice pronouncing the key parts of the pepeha (mountain, river, tribe).
Keep referring back to the vowels and consonants and going over each line of your pepeha.
When reciting, enunciate as deliberately as you can. Remember, a pepeha is a time to be proud and confident but also requires humility.
These wonderful pronunciation guides are taken from The Māori Language Commission https://www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz/resources
It is always useful to keep returning to Māori phonetics and sounds (vowels, consonants, diphthongs).
There are some common pronunciation pitfalls and how to avoid them.
With regards to pepeha (all short vowels) watch out for these:
Mispronouncing Māori Words
Pitfall: Incorrect vowel sounds, stressing the wrong syllables, or rushing through names.
Solution: Take your time, break words into syllables, and listen to fluent speakers.
Rushing or delivering without confidence.
Pitfall: Saying it too fast, mumbling, or sounding uncertain.
Solution: Practice out loud, emphasise your words, record yourself, and listen to fluent speakers, keep an ear out for how the vowels and syllables sound.
Incorrect usage of words
The use of the kupu te and tōku
“Te” is to specify a particular thing. Because I don’t own the mountain, we use the term “Te Maunga = The Mountain.”
“Tōku” is to specify My / Mine (for things of high importance, respect, or inherent connection). “Tōku Tīpuna = My Ancestor.”
Practice pronouncing the key parts of the pepeha (mountain, river, tribe).
Keep referring back to the vowels and consonants and going over each line of your pepeha.
When reciting, enunciate as deliberately as you can. Remember, a pepeha is a time to be proud and confident but also requires humility.
Reflect and review prompts for tauira:
Self-assess using our Kōrero. Online four elements of:
Grammar (sentence order)
Kupu (vocabulary building)
Fluency and expression
Pronunciation
Now seek feedback from your kaiako using these four signposts.
Finding audio recordings as language models is always a good idea.
You have the best model with your kaiako, but being able to keep up your pronunciation and listening skills in between lessons and input is useful.
Check out sites like https://maoridictionary.co.nz/
Te Aka Māori for kupu pronunciation and audio files.
https://xn--wharekrero-v3b.nz/ Whare Korero for radio content is also really good.
Stacy Morrison’s Up to Speed podcast is a great teaching and learning tool. https://open.spotify.com/show/63riu9Uc1SfVrNbzO3iTOv