How to pronounce "Māori"...

[Greywulf]

Since we are getting them as a civ, and since nearly every time I hear it being pronounced, it is being pronounced incorrectly, I thought I would take a moment to teach all the loyal fans on how to properly pronounce this word...

In short...(don't trust the other pronunciation clips)

More details...

 

[shaglio]

Huh, so it’s pronounced like chairman Mao rather than “may-OR-ee” like I’ve been saying

Edit: most of my learning about historical civilizations comes from reading, so I have to provide my own pronunciation (which probably turns out to be incorrect more often than not).

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

We will have to see how Sarah and Sean Bean do at this.

 

[WillowBrook]

Very cool. I somehow had picked up the appropriate vowel pronunciation, but with a very American 'r'. Thanks!

 

[Zaarin]

We will have to see how...Sean Bean do at this.

"Lead boldly, Coop of the Moo-eh-rye."

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

My guidance was always from the song in one of Spider Robinson's short stories:

"When you swim in the sea and an eel bites your knee
That's a Moray,
If your vitamins be only B, C, and D
Take some More A!
When two colors combine in a way serpentine
That's a moire,
A New Zealander Man with a permanent Tan
That's a Maori!"

 

[MooFreaky]

Then you go to Southern NZ and their accents make it sounds like "moldy"...

 

[Greywulf]

Huh, so it’s pronounced like chairman Mao rather than “may-OR-ee” like I’ve been saying

Edit: most of my learning about historical civilizations comes from reading, so I have to provide my own pronunciation (which probably turns out to be incorrect more often than not).

Not exactly like Chairman Mao either (I prefer the example of the word for cat in Chinese, lol, which I remember because it sounds to me like the sound a cat makes), that has more of an "ou" as in "ouch" sound, while Maori has a similar sound to "moldy", as MooFreaky pointed out. A heads up...If you pronounce it more like the word for cat in Chinese "Mao", then Maori people might call you a Pakeha.

Not sure if you will hear the difference, but here's the cat "Mao" way (apologies for the wrong tone, as cat should be 1st tone)...

Very cool. I somehow had picked up the appropriate vowel pronunciation, but with a very American 'r'. Thanks!

You're welcome.

 

[Giskler]

"Lead boldly, Coop of the Moo-eh-rye."

lol! Which of others is he likely to mangle?

 

[Greywulf]

Just remembered something...

 

[Siptah]

In short: it‘s pronounced exactly as if it would be a Swiss word
I prefer to say it different though and I don‘t see much reason to change that. After all, I also don‘t pronounce London, Munich or Paris in the native language and dialects.

 

[Melliores]

Having seen some Kiwi official papers I was amazed that all of them are bi-lingual. I have already seen countries that do that, like Belgium and Switzerland, however those are two completely different languages and I wonder whether teaching Maori is mandatory in schools in New Zealand ?

 

[Pietato]

Having seen some Kiwi official papers I was amazed that all of them are bi-lingual. I have already seen countries that do that, like Belgium and Switzerland, however those are two completely different languages and I wonder whether teaching Maori is mandatory in schools in New Zealand ?

It is not. Greens want to make mandatory, though. Only a small proportion of the population speak Maori, because the colonnial era tried to exterminate it.

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

In short: it‘s pronounced exactly as if it would be a Swiss word

That's probably because of the famous Linguistic Mountain Influence: high altitude making everything sound alike...

 

[Zaarin]

That's probably because of the famous Linguistic Mountain Influence: high altitude making everything sound alike...

You know, there's a legit linguistic theory that ejectives are more common in mountains, but I think it's more parsimonious to say correlation does not equal causation. Also languages like Lakhota don't support the theory very well.

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

You know, there's a legit linguistic theory that ejectives are more common in mountains, but I think it's more parsimonious to say correlation does not equal causation. Also languages like Lakhota don't support the theory very well.

Has anybody tested it by having them speak Lakhota only from the top of the Black Hills?

 

[Zaarin]

Has anybody tested it by having them speak Lakhota only from the top of the Black Hills?

I think their ejectives are just as ejective in the Plains. ETA: Also Navajo and Apache, but at least Navajo and Apache originate in the mountains... Still the correlation works if you choose to ignore any language outside the PNW, Caucasus, and Ethiopia.

 

[Xefjord]

I am sure some linguists can say that the sounds don't exactly line up, but because I have dabbled with Japanese, Chinese, and Korean: I feel like my first guess as to its pronunciation was pretty darn close. Kind of surprised people were pronouncing it wrong?

 

[Kimiimaro]

Since my native language (Czech) is quite phonetic, I have no problem with reading the word and not mangling it

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

I think their ejectives are just as ejective in the Plains. ETA: Also Navajo and Apache, but at least Navajo and Apache originate in the mountains... Still the correlation works if you choose to ignore any language outside the PNW, Caucasus, and Ethiopia.

Um, please correct me if I've been overtaken by new discoveries, but I believe Apache is related to the Algonkian family of languages of northeastern Canada/USA, which is not particularly mountainous outside of Vermont. Of course, if they can prove that the language changed to 'ejective' form after they moved down to the marginal mountainous country of the southwest, it would definitely prove your point ...