PART I


GRAMMAR.

CHAPTER .

THE PRONUNCIATION OF MAORI.

THE Maori alphabet is composed of fifteen letters, viz.:Ñ
a, e, h, i, k, m, n, o; p, r, t, u, w, ng, wh,; the sounds of
which are as follows:Ñ
a has one sound, Italian a, but varying in length. Ist, the
short; 2nd, the long. The word mamma gives the two
sounds exactly;
c is pronounced as e in dedication or send;
h is the same in both languages;
i is pronounced like ee in sheep, or i in tip (short);
k has the same sound as the English k in keen;
m, n, have the same sound as in English;
o has a short sound, as noti, to pinch; and a long one, as
too, to drag;
p has the same sound as in English;
r has a soft sound which almost resembles l, as in rere, to
fly; it is articulated farther forward in the mouth than in
English. The student must be careful not to roll the r;
t should also be pronounced as far forward as possible;
t has the sound of oo in cook (short) and in cool (long);
w is pronounced as in winter, ex.. wero, to stab;
ng has a peculiar sound which must be uttered in closely
uniting the n to the g without allowing the tongue to
touch the palate. The position of the organs of speech
is the same for this letter as for k and g. Pronounce ka
ga, nga  in quick succession without shifting the organs of
speech.