Marking Vowel Length on Māori language texts

A friend has raised (on Facebook) a number of questions about marking vowel length in Māori language texts. Particularly she asked whether vowel length should be marked when quoting the texts of other writers. Here are some responses:

Firstly, the author of the text decides how the text ought to be written. Hence, the author decides whether to mark vowel length in Māori language texts or when using Māori words or phrases in English texts.  

Having said that, however, it is important that vowel length is correctly marked in Māori language texts. The reason for this is that vowel length changes the meaning of words. For example, tāua is not the same as taua; kāinga is not the same as kainga, and so on.

Vowel length should also be marked when indicating singular or plural forms. For example, te tangata (singular), ngā tāngata (plural); te kuia, ngā kūia, and so on.

My preferred method of marking vowel length is by use of the macron (not double vowel). 

There is another reason to mark vowel length in Māori texts (or when using Māori in English). This reason relates to the endangered nature of our language. The number of fluent speakers is at an all time low and there are more learners of Māori than fluent speakers. For this reason, it is important to mark vowel length and in a disciplined and consistent fashion so that learners receive as much guidance as possible as to the correct way to pronounce words and the meanings of those words.

Secondly, with respect to quoting the work of others, the principle here is that quotes ought to follow precisely what was written in the original. Hence, if vowel length is marked in the original, then it should also appear in the quote. If it is not marked, then it should not be introduced into the quote. 

(My approach to writing in Te Reo Māori was developed over a 20 year period. It began when working with the Dr Mīria Simpson of Ngāti Awa and on projects such as Bateman NZ Historical Atlas, Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, Te Ara Online Encyclopaedia. It developed further through six book projects, masterate and doctoral dissertations, and while convening the Master of Mātauranga Māori at Te Wānanga-o-Raukawa. See www.charles-royal.nz)

Comments

  1. teroma potiSeptember 14, 2016 at 7:32 AM

    Kia ora,
    Some years back I was always told "he mana tō te kupu', when doing my tuhingaroa, or aromatawai. My writing was not up to scratch although my reo was fluent, always reminded, kia kaua e wareware ki te iri i ngā tohutō ki runga i ngā kupu. Anō he mana tō te kupu..

    ReplyDelete

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