Pronunciation of te reo Māori — or any language for that matter — is important, as it can change the meaning. It’s a sign of respect, too. The history behind place names is important, as it locates you, and you see, or find, the history that brought about the name. I can think of several stories relating to the pronunciation of my name; another blog post perhaps?

If you’re someone who would like to improve your pronunciation, there are some practical steps you can take:

• Ask for help. Most people are willing to assist you if they know you are trying.
• Make an effort; don’t give up. Make an effort, and don’t give up, as we know change often happens in small steps. Even if you ‘move closer’ to where you would like to be, people will notice the effort and admire it.
• Find resources. Look for resources to assist you.

I was having a discussion with my colleague Te Mako Orzecki (two names that regularly get mispronounced) about the pronunciation of “Kaikōura” and the multiple ways we have heard it recently in public on T.V. and radio.

Mispronunciation can change the whole meaning of a word. I have been impressed with Radio New Zealand and the effective strategy they use. When I constantly hear te reo throughout and every name is pronounced correctly in te reo Māori, after a while I just ‘hear’ the essence of what is being said and forget whether it is in English or te reo (this is because of the repetition, and because it is mainly introductions and greetings).

I have also noticed that the uptake of macrons in the media is still very slow. Past CORE blogs have discussed the importance of macrons in te reo Māori. If you’re unsure of how to add macrons, follow these simple guides:

• Set your computer up – it will take only a few minutes
• Unsure if a kupu (word) has a macron? Check with maoridictionary.co.nz, or check He Pātaka Kupu, which is the most accurate and is available in hard copy only.

Without wanting to get into the many reasons why te reo Māori is mispronounced, Te Mako and I thought we would choose 15 well-known place names and offer a free course to improve your pronunciation. The course involves interactive activities to support te reo Māori pronunciation, and a one-on-one virtual session with Te Mako or Anaru. If you are interested in enrolling in this course, register here:

Ngā Ingoa Wāhi o Aotearoa

Te Mako and I would also like to continue to gather ideas on te reo Māori and kaupapa Māori ideas to support whānau, learners, and staff. If you have any questions or stories to share please leave a comment below or tweet us: @anaruwhite or @OrzeckiT, or use the hashtags #correctPronunciation and #tereo. You can also use #TransformWithCore.

 

He rauemi

• CORE Education te reo Māori Courses: Te Reo Puāwai Māori, Te Reo Manahua Māori
• CORE Education Māori Resources: Kīwaha, Whakataukī and Te Whānau Pū Cards
• CORE Education Samoan Language Course: Gagana Samoa – Talanoa Mai
• CORE Education Blog: Adding tohutō (macrons) on devices for te reo Māori
• Connected Educator NZ: A global professional learning event — all online, all for free.

Recently, I have had a lot of discussion with my colleague Te Mako Orzecki about te reo Māori and particularly about the pronunciation of our names.

We both agree on the importance of correct pronunciation, and, as former kaiako, we can think of several occasions when students’ names were mispronounced. I remember how students felt when their names were mispronounced and the disappointing and upsetting reaction from them. On the other hand, a fond memory I have is when a former colleague of mine came to me at the start of the year with her class list and asked me how to pronounce names correctly. A wee bit of preparation can lead to a positive start to a classroom relationship, and we know how important this is.

At times, Te Mako and I have been a bit slack correcting pronunciation, but we have been staunch lately, and this has been well-received with apologies and the desire to be correct.

In our discussions, we have talked about our names and experiences and wanted to share them to highlight the importance of pronunciation and the meaning behind names. I was interested to hear about the experiences and kōrero behind Te Mako’s name.

[showhide more_text=”Show transcript of podcast” less_text=”Hide transcript”]

He rerekē tēnei, i tēnā — Each has its own uniqueness — Anaru and Te Mako

Anaru:

E ngā waka o ngā hau e whā, tēnā koutou katoa. Nau mai ki tēnei pāhōrangi o Tātai Aho Rau.
Ko wai au
Ko Taranaki te maunga
Ko Waitara te awa
Ko Kairau te marae
Ko Te Atiawa te iwi
Ko Anaru White tōku ingoa
He kaitakawaenga au i te rōpū o Tātai Aho Rau arā CORE Education.
Kia ora e hoa, kei a koe te wā

Te Mako

Tēnā koe e hoa, otirā, koutou e are tāringa mai ana ki a māua
Ko wai tēnei e whakapāoho atu nei?
Ko Tainui te waka
Ko Tararua ngā paemaunga
Ko Ngāti Wehiwehi te marae
Ko Ngāti Wehiwehi te whānau hūmarie
Ko Ngāti Raukawa te Au ki te Tonga te iwi
Ko Te Mako Orzecki tōku ingoa

Anaru:

Kia ora e hoa, kia ora koutou
Te Mako, we are going to share some experiences about our names and learning te reo Māori. Firstly, I wonder if I could invite you to tell us about the origins of your name.

Te Mako

Kia ora, Anaru. Obviously, I have two unique names and I’d like to start with my surname first. The name Orzecki originates from Poland on my father’s side. He first came to New Zealand in the early 50’s after spending most of his time in the merchant navy. He met my mother and married her, and my siblings and I  then came along. Our original family name is Orzangski, which eventually became Orzecki. Orzangski came from a place in our history where one of our ancestors had performed a noble deed and was given the title of ‘ski’ on the end of their name. The female equivalent would be given the title ‘ska’ — so Orzangski for male and Orzangska for females. The thing to gain from this is that if you meet a Polish person with the ski name on the end, it tells you that somewhere in their history an ancestor had performed a noble deed.

The name Te Mako is not a name I was born with, but a name that was given to me by my relation in agreement with my parents some 30 years ago. Its whakapapa can be traced from an ancestor on my mother’s/grandmother’s side, and my paternal grandfather. So there are female and male elements to its origins. Most people look at it in terms of the translation being ‘The Shark’, but I prefer the explanation given to me by Dr Turuki Rangimarie Rose Pere many years ago. She said ‘the Mā’ in my name means clean or pure and the name ‘Ko’ is an ancient name (one of many) given to ‘Tāne’, and translated in her words, my name means Tāne the Pure.

Anaru:

That’s interesting because I know about the Polish link but I never asked you about your first name.

For me and our listeners this is about knowing your learners and I’m thinking about teachers in classrooms but also anybody — do you ask them the meaning behind their name, or do you ask their whānau to share this story?  Valuing the importance of their ancestors, the importance of identity, language and culture — Thinking about the pronunciation of your name Te Mako, how have you found the pronunciation of your name over the years?

Te Mako

I have heard many variations of my name spoken over the years that have ranged from me smiling, and going with it, to me having to correct them, no matter who was there. Generally if I hear it mispronounced these days I will correct the person first off and hopefully, they pronounce it correctly. I have also said to either call me ‘T’ or ‘TM’ but I think it’s really a cop out on my part and they should be calling me Te Mako rather than ‘T’ or ‘TM’.

Anaru:

Building on that my next question was around your thoughts on the correct pronunciation of names?

Te Mako

Names are precious so it is really important that people pronounce names correctly or at the least take time to learn a name — you may be surprised with it’s origin.

Anaru:

Finally, Te Mako, for our listeners, what are some good strategies or tips to help improve pronunciation?

Te Mako

Practise , practise, and more practise of someone’s name that you find hard to pronounce

Listen, listen, listen to a name you find hard to pronounce and how it is correctly said.

Use it, use it, use it again, as often as you can particularly once you’ve mastered the person’s name.

Anaru:

I totally agree.
Nō reira e hoa. Nei rā te mihi ki a koe, ōtira ki a koutou. Kia ora rā.

Te Mako

Kia ora.
[/showhide]

 

Te Mako and I would like to continue to gather ideas on te reo Māori and kaupapa Māori ideas to support whānau, learners, and staff. If you have any questions or stories to share please leave a comment below, or tweet us: @anaruwhite or @OrzeckiT, or use the hashtags #correctPronunciation and #tereo.

He rauemi

• CORE Education te reo Māori Courses: Te Reo Puāwai Māori, Te Reo Manahua Māori
• CORE Education Māori Resources: Kīwaha, Whakataukī and Te Whānau Pū Cards
• CORE Education Samoan Language Course: Gagana Samoa – Talanoa Mai
• CORE Education Blog: How important is pronunciation anyway? How hard is it really?
• CORE Education Blog: Adding tohutō (macrons) on devices for te reo Māori
• Connected Educator NZ: A global professional learning event – all online, all for free.