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)
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).
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!"
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)...
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.
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 ?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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 ...
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