From: renzland@govonca.gov.on.ca (Peter Renzland)
Subject: Re: Long Vowels: Macrons or Doubling (Was Re: Paakehaa ...)
Date: Fri, 28 May 1993 00:01:01 GMT

M_Wright@icrf.icnet.uk (Mike Wright) writes:

>Why not double up all the vowels. Then it would be Maaoorii. Sort of rools
>ooff thee toonguuee dooeesn't iit.

Because not all vowels are long.  Or haven't you been following this thread?

Someone asked why Maaori needs to be spelled phonetically correctly when
English doesn't.  Well let me give a few reasons

1. Maaori is phonetically much much simpler than English
   It has 5 vowel sounds and 10 consonant sounds.  Vowel length matters.
   (If you only have 5 vowel sounds, significant vowel length is more
   important than if you have 10 vowel sounds.)
   And the latin alphabet is quite suitable for expressing Maaori sounds,
   the only rough spots being the use of two letters each for the sounds
   written as "ng" and "wh".
   Thus, it's easy.

2. Maaori has always been spelled simply.  English spelling is complex
   not only because English sounds are more complex, but also for
   historical reasons.  The lack of a simple relationship between spelling
   and pronunciation is a property of the English language that other
   languages need not suffer from.
   Thus, it's traditional.  (Written Maaori has a _short_ tradition.)

3. Maaori is almost a dead language.  Fewer than 10% of Maaori families speak
   the language at home.  Most written material is therefore read by people
   who are not fluent speakers.  Among fluent speakers it would be possible
   to communicate without vowel length indication, ftr ll, flnt spkrs f Nglsh
   hv n trbl rdng ths, vn thgh thr r n vwls t ll.  Effectively, readers of
   Maaori are *learning* and writers must write unambiguously, if they are
   to be understood.
   Thus, it's necessary for teaching and communicating unambiguously.

4. The Maaori culture treasures the language.  The oral tradition has 
   preserved an astonishing degree of accuracy through the ages.  From
   the Maaori perspective, inasmuch as written language is accepted, it
   must be respected and must faithfully reflect the spoken language.
   A spelling system that is merely suggestive would undermine the culture
   and efforts at cultural survival.
   Thus, it helps preserve the culture.

-- 
Peter Renzland    Je danse, donc je suis.   +1 416 323-1300
"Toi te kupu, toi te mana, toi te whenua."