Tahitian Pronunciation Guide297

Tahitian is an Austronesian language spoken by around 120,000 people in French Polynesia, primarily in the Society Islands, including Tahiti. It is one of the official languages of French Polynesia, alongside French. Tahitian is closely related to other Polynesian languages, such as Hawaiian, Māori, and Samoan.

The Tahitian alphabet has 13 letters: five vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and eight consonants (f, h, m, n, p, r, t, v). The vowels can be pronounced either short or long, and the consonants can be pronounced either voiced or voiceless. The stress in Tahitian words typically falls on the last syllable.

Vowels

The five Tahitian vowels are pronounced as follows:
a: pronounced like the "a" in "father"
e: pronounced like the "e" in "bet"
i: pronounced like the "i" in "sit"
li>o: pronounced like the "o" in "boat"
u: pronounced like the "oo" in "boot"

The vowels can be pronounced either short or long. Short vowels are pronounced for a brief period of time, while long vowels are pronounced for a longer period of time. The length of a vowel is indicated by a macron (¯) over the vowel, as in the word "tāne" (man).

Consonants

The eight Tahitian consonants are pronounced as follows:
f: pronounced like the "f" in "fish"
h: pronounced like the "h" in "hat"
m: pronounced like the "m" in "man"
n: pronounced like the "n" in "nose"
p: pronounced like the "p" in "pot"
r: pronounced like the "r" in "run"
t: pronounced like the "t" in "top"
v: pronounced like the "v" in "van"

The consonants can be pronounced either voiced or voiceless. Voiced consonants are pronounced with the vocal cords vibrating, while voiceless consonants are pronounced without the vocal cords vibrating. The voicing of a consonant is indicated by a small circle below the consonant, as in the word "mene" (song).

Stress

The stress in Tahitian words typically falls on the last syllable. However, there are some exceptions to this rule. For example, words that end in a vowel are typically stressed on the second-to-last syllable. Additionally, words that are derived from French often retain the French stress pattern.

Examples

Here are some examples of Tahitian words with their pronunciations:
tāne (man): pronounced [taːne]
vahine (woman): pronounced [vaːhine]
fare (house): pronounced [faɾe]
maitai (good): pronounced [maɪtaʔi]
mauruuru (thank you): pronounced [maʔuɾuʔu]

With a little practice, you will be able to pronounce Tahitian words correctly. This will help you to communicate more effectively with Tahitian speakers and to better appreciate the beauty of the Tahitian language.

2024-11-08

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