Having trouble pronouncing kupu Māori?
Many people are so afraid of giving it a go, they would much rather just give it a miss. Believe me I understand. There are words in other languages I avoid using for that very reason!
For example, the scientific name for the manu below is Himantopus leucocephalus…?! Or try saying “superfluous” !
To reiterate a saying I introduced in the last blog: Tū whitia te hopo – feel the fear and do it anyway!
It will be well worth the initial discomfort.
Here at Te Papa we have our kaiako Joan Costello to support us.
Joan has helpful and reassuring tips to share with you. We will ‘roll them out’ one at a time so you have plenty of time to practice.
TIP 1
“Are There Three Or Two”.
A E I O U
Now say “moa”, “toa”, “hoa” – notice the difference?
One more sneak preview 😉
abstract art = toi tūrehurehu
Arohatia te reo e hoa mā – Friends, give love to our language and give it a go!
Mā te wā…
Very useful and unscary: thank you. With our two permanent part Maori foster children starting kohanga reo next year and our other three family members being pakeha any help with learning Te Reo is hugely appreciated.
Awesome – kohanga is a beautiful place to learn the Māori Language. We have a saying in ‘ahakoa he it, he mapihi pounamu’. Even if you only have very few kupu cherish them, use them because they are precious gems.
Tū whitia te hopo!
love Maori words. one is best to sing them… I am getting there with pronouncing them, wastnt born in NZ is my excuse, am ex Londoner! its great that the Maori are now speaking their language, when I first came to NZ it wasnt spoken but now the Maori have their own TV Channel and time on TV… great,
Thank you for your comment – give these tips ago and let us know if they help you =) we will be releasing the next one in 3 weeks
Tū whitia te hopo!