The Niuean language: an elementary grammar and basic vocabulary

100 Pages·1982·5.054 MB·English

by  Whittaker, Graeme

THE NIUEAN LANGUAGE;
AN ELEMENTARY
GRAMMAR AND BASIC
VOCABULARY
Graeme Whittaker
ii
Funded by the
Australian Cultural Fund
for the
Preservation and Development
of
Pacific Cultures
N.Z, & PAGHC
Da/ - 21
University of the South Pacific Niue Centre
Alofi Niue
1982
Ill
FOREWORD
Our sincere thanks go to Mr Whittaker for his
efforts to preserve in written form the Niuean language.
To those Niueans who assisted him I also express thanks:
monuina and fakaaue lahi mahaki.
It was a great pleasure for me to assist in the
correction of the proofs. I am sure this volume will
help those readers who wish to know more about our
language and unique way of life. My best wishes go out
for the success of this publication.
Kia monuina a mutolu oti.
Leslie Richmond Rex MBE J.P.
Government Translator
18.11.1981

V
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
KO E FAKAMAAMAAGA KE HE ALITO HE TOHI NEI MO E TAU TAGATA
KUA LOGAMATAI MAI KI AI
Fakaalofa lahi atu ke_he ha mutolu a tau lilifu ko e
tau takitaki he motu ko Niue mo e moto tagata o£i foki he
Motu Tutaha.
Kua manako lahi au he fakamaamaaga nei ke talahau
atu po ke heigoa e kakano ne tohi ai e au e tohi nei.
Ne hoko mai au ki Niue nei ke lata mo e ono nl e faahi
tapu ko e lali ke fakaako au ke he vagahau fakaniue ke
maeke əi ke logamatai aki haaku a gahua fakaekekafo he
vaha ka hau he uho he tau tagata Niue kua tatakoto he tau
fale gagao i Okalana ka e ai maama mitaki a lautolu ke
he vagahau faka-Pelitania. Haia, ne kumi mai ai a au e
tau^tohi ke lagomatai aki^haaku a fakaako ke he vagahau
Niue ka e ai fai. Gata ni he tohi kupu ne tohi e J.M.
McEwen^ko e "Niuean Dictionary". Ko e tohi ia ne faka-
aoga tumau e au ti pehe ai a au ka ne ai fai "Niuean
Dictionary" a au, ne teitei mua atu e uka he lali haaku
ke vagahau fakaniue £i pihia ni foki mo e gahua nei ke
tau£e.
Ka ko_e puhala mua makimaki atu he mitaki ne fakaaoga
a au ko e fa fakamatutaki tumau mo e tau tagata Niue lali
fakamakaukau ai au ke talahau fakaNiue. Haia, kua nakai
fakatokoluga au ke pehe atu ko e tama pulotu au ke he
vagahau ka ko e tau kupu he tohi nei kua iloa e au. Ko e
mena ia kua manako ai au ke tokutoku atu e tau higoa he
tau tagata kua logamatai lahi mahaki mai ke maeke ai
haaku a gahua nei.
Ko e tagata palagi ko Tom Ryan ne fakaohooho e ia a
au ke kamata e gahua nei ke lagomatai aki e kau papalagi
oti kana_kua fia manako a lautolu ke fakaako ke he vagahau
f aka Niue. Ki a Tom mo haana a hoana ko Debbie kua manako
au ke tuku atu e "fakaaue lahi mahaki ki a mua".
Ko Pokotoa Sipeli mai i Liku, Lagavalu Haioti mai i
Alofi, Ikinepule Etuata mai i Hakupu, Maihetoe Hekau mai i
Alofi mo Hafe Vilitama mai i Mutalau ne fakahakohako e
lautolu e falu a kupu he tohi nei ti "fakaaue lahi ai ki
a mutolu" "
Ka ko e tapunu he lagomatai mai ke he tohi nei, ko e
tagata Liku ko Iki Vemoa Tuputoga mo e haana a hoana ko
Famili mo e magafaoa ha laua foki. Ne leveki fakamitaki
e lautolu a au he nonofo fakalataha a mautolu ne lata mo
e ono e faahi tapu ti tali mata fiafia foki a lautolu
haaku a_fa ole ki a lautolu ke fakamaama mai e tau kupu
fakaNiue loga mo e tau matapatu he kalama foki. Kua ai
fai kupu ke lata mo a loto fiafia kua logona e au ka ke
fakakite ki a lautolu aki e "Oue tulou makimaki".
vi
Ka ko e gahua mua ue atu he mitaki ke tauteufce
fakahiku_e gahua nei ke he vagahau fakaNiue, ne taufce e ha
laua a na lilifu ko Young Vivian ko e Ikipule he Faahi
Fakaako Tama mo Leslie Rex ko e Tagata Liliu Vagahau he
Fakatufono. Ne |ei|ei hepehepe e falu a tau kavi he tohi
nei_ka ko e lagomatai mitaki ha Young mo Leslie ki ai.
"Oue tulou atu ki a mua, ma Young mo Leslie".
Kua lata tonu foki ke talahau atu e lagomatai lahi
mai he U.S.P. Extension Services Centre i Halamahaga mo e
na takitaki ai ko Jan Bundy mo Rod Spooner. Haia, ne
logamatai lahi mahaki mai e Centre ia ke maeke ke lomi mai
ma tautolu e tohi nei, ti manako ai au ke vagahau atu ke
he tau tagata mo e tau flfine oti ne gahua ma e tohi nei,
"fakaaue lahi mahaki ki a mutolu oti".
Ki he tau tagata Liku fakalulapu mo e tau tagata o|;i
kana kua langomatai mai ke he haaku a vagahau fakaNiue, kua
fia tuku atu e au e "fakaaue lahi makimaki ki a mutolu o%i".
Ko e gahua auloa ha tutolu, kua tuga e £iale he mahofi he
manamanatuaga haaku. Kia monuina a mutolu.
Graeme Whittaker.
VXi
CONTENTS
Introduction Page number
1. Cardinal Pronouns 5
2. Nouns 5
3. Verbs (with subject and object) 8
4. Verbs (with subject only or object only) 11
5. Tenses 12
6. Semi-transitive verbs 12
7. Adjectives and Adverbs 12
8. Juxtaposition further examined 13
9. Possessive Pronouns 13
10. 'No/not/not yet1 14
11. 'To be able1 — maeke 15
12. Possession 15
13. Verbal Nouns 16
14. i ki mai he^ke he mai he 16
s x 3 3
15. The pronouns ai and ia 17
16. Some common prefixes and preposed words 18
17. The conjunction 'and' 20
18. 'Because1 21
19. 'With' 22
20. 'Although' 22
21. Location 22
22. Local nouns 23
23. Directional Particles 24
24. Passives 24
25. Past Participles 26
26. Intransitive Verbs - Possible Difficulties 26
27. "Mixed" Transitive/Intransitive Verbs 27
28. Questions 27
29. 'Whether ... or ... ' and pseudo questions 28
30. Imperatives - 28
31. Prohibitives 29
32. Numbers 29
33. Telling the time 30
34. Plural noun and verb forms 30
35. Intensives, comparatives and superlatives 32
36. 'For' 33
37. 'Should/Must/Try' and 'Become8 34
VX11
Contents (Continued).
Basic Vocabulary
alphabet page number
& - 39 40
-
b - 41 _ 43
c - 44 47
-
d - 48 49
-
e 50 » 51
f _ 52 - 54
g ~ 55 - 56
h - . 57 58
-
i - 59
j ~ 60
k - 61
I - 62 63
-
m - 64 65
-
n - 66
o - 67 _ 68
P - 69 - 72
q ~ 72
r - 73 - 75
s - 76 82
t - 83 - 85
u - 86
v - 87
w - 88 - 89
xyz -90
1
INTRODUCTION
The following notes on Niuean grammar will fail to
please everybody. Those wishing an exhaustive treatment
will find it lacking in some areas. Those wishing
linguistic precision may not feel happy about my attempts
to avoid excessive linguistic jargon by couching in lay-
man^ terms, where possible, the various comments and
explanations. Those hoping for simplicity may be
disappointed, as the grammar of any language necessarily
involves numerous rules and, alas, exceptions to rules.
However, I have attempted to convey a sense of logic
underlying certain grammatical constructs which, after all,
represent the evolution and refinement of the language
over hundreds of years. It is hoped that the reader will
gain thereby a certain aesthetic appreciation of the grammar
of Niuean.
Students of any language are often frustrated because
they feel that they are expressing themselves grammatically
correctly and yet are still misunderstood. I have
endeavoured to show instances where ambiguity and imprecision
might arise and the ways that such problems can be avoided.
Without being too simplistic, I have dealt with the
broad fundamental concepts as well as more specific, but
nevertheless very useful, concepts. The choice of what to
include and what not to include has been coloured by my own
experience in becoming fluent in the Tongan language -
perhaps the closest Polynesian language to Niuean - as well
as by study at University level in the Maori language.
Thus those grammatical concepts which I found being
continually used as well as those concepts which I had
difficulty in grasping, in Tongan, Maori and Niuean,
have given a certain experience (some may call it a bias}
of what is important enough to include in a brief study
of this nature.
Lack of a readily available Niuean grammar has been
a severe obstacle to many palagis who have tried to learn
Niuean, as well as to Niueans who might teach their
language but for want of a grammatical work around which
they could base their approach. hope that the grammatical
notes which follow will enable a palagi to get "off the
ground" with the Niuean language, whereupon he/she will be
able to make their own way to a more detailed knowledge of
the grammar, if desired.
Space has not allowed as many examples to be presented
as I would have liked, and for this reason it is hoped that
the work may be used in conjunction with a Niuean teacher
who could furnish further examples to illustrate the various
points» This too will rectify the obvious lack in the notes
of a detailed guide as to pronunciation of vowels,
diphthongs, consonants, etc. There is nothing, after all,
like "the real thing" in learning pronunciation.
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